Inside the Main Conference Hall of Void Spirit Sword Sect, Yang Kai sat valiantly in the main seat. To his left sat a group of Elders from Tian Luo Hall with Li Zheng Qing as their leader. On the other hand, to his right sat another group of people from Roaring Tiger Sect with Sect Master Zhuang Ju He at their head.
There was a clear distinction between the two sides. Moreover, all the people present today were cultivators in the Fourth-Step Earth Grade And above.
It had been one month since Yang Kai advanced into the Heaven Realm, and many things had happened during this time.
The biggest incident that affected the entire Void Spirit Sword Sect was that the Old Sect Master Su Chang Fa had abdicated his position. The Eldest Disciple of the younger generation, Yang Kai, had taken over in his stead.
This was also what everybody desired. Yang Kai was the one and only Heaven Realm Master in the entire Void Spirit Sword Sect. Not only was he the strongest, but he was also very young; thus, it was only a matter of time before he took over as the Sect Master. Su Chang Fa had simply brought this matter forward a little.
What’s more, Void Spirit Sword Sect was now a booming business thanks to Yang Kai’s efforts in developing the Sect. Not only did Roaring Tiger Sect and Tian Luo Hall become branches of Void Spirit Sword Sect, but all the other Sects and Clans within a thousand kilometres radius had also decided to submit to Void Spirit Sword Sect. Therefore, Void Spirit Sword Sect was indeed in need of a stronger Sect Master to act as a deterrent and a symbol.
Su Chang Fa was getting on in his years. Although he was happy to witness the rise of Void Spirit Sword Sect, he no longer had the energy to manage the Sect. In this aspect, Yang Kai was full of vigour, which was perfect for the circumstances.
For that reason, Su Chang Fa swiftly decided to pass the torch to Yang Kai after a simple discussion with Gu Kang Ning and Hong Xiu, regardless of whether Yang Kai agreed or not.
The succession ceremony was held half a month ago. All the nearby great forces sent their representatives to express their congratulations, making it a lively scene.
Aside from that, news of Yang Kai refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in Heavenly Martial City had spread like wildfire among the Elders of Tian Luo Hall and Roaring Tiger Sect.
This was something that could not be kept secret, and Yang Kai had no intention of keeping it secret either. That was why he did not care when Du Yu Yu and Shi Ming Hui either intentionally or unintentionally spread this news to the public.
The news caused a huge stir among the Elders of Roaring Tiger Sect and Tian Luo Hall. Accordingly, the attitudes of these people were obviously much more respectful and attentive nowadays.
In the past, they had no choice but to surrender under Yang Kai’s brutal ferocity after he forced them to consume Poison Pills. However, it was different now. Yang Kai was not just a Heaven Realm Master but also a Heaven Grade Alchemist. A person like that was a pivotal figure in the Divine Armament World.
Once this information spread, there would be many Heaven Realm Masters willing to follow him.
In the Divine Armament World, it was not shameful for a Heaven Realm Master to serve under a Heaven Grade Alchemist. Rather, it was an act that was approved and recognised by the public!
That was because Heaven Realm Masters required large amounts of resources for their cultivation, while Heaven Grade Alchemists were wealthy people. As long as a Heaven Realm Master could serve under a suitable Heaven Grade Alchemist, there would be no need for them to worry about cultivation resources again.
Naturally, there was another, more important reason. If the Heaven Grade Alchemist they served could advance to become a Spirit Grade Alchemist, then they had hope of obtaining a Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill and advancing into the Spirit Realm in the future. They were simply investing in their future in advance.
The two bodyguards at the peak of the Heaven Realm who served beside Gao Xin Peng were eagerly waiting for the latter to become a Spirit Grade Alchemist and subsequently refine Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pills for them.
After all, there were not many Spirit-Grade Alchemists in the entire Divine Armament World. Even if Masters at the peak of the Heaven Realm like themselves begged those Spirit Grade Alchemists for a pill, they might not have a chance of success.
The people of Roaring Tiger Sect and Tian Luo Hall were well aware that Yang Kai could easily amass a large force of Heaven Realm Masters with his current status and identity; therefore, they were dispensable pawns in his eyes.
It was not easy for them to gain a connection to a Heaven Grade Alchemist; hence, they would never let this opportunity slip by without a fight.
Inside the hall, these people sat upright with their backs straight. They also had attentive looks on their faces. Despite so many people gathering in the Main Hall, it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Even the sound of their breathing had been suppressed to the limits.
They did not know the reason why Yang Kai summoned them all here. Ever since he returned from his previous trip, he had remained in retreat. Aside from the one time he showed up at the succession ceremony, there had been no sight of him.
Looking around, Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction after seeing the respectful behaviours of these Elders. He then shouted, “Li Zheng Qing!”
Tian Luo Hall’s Sect Master, Li Zheng Qing, hastily stood up and cupped his fist, “Subordinate is here!”
“How long have you been stuck at the peak of the Earth Realm?” Yang Kai casually asked.
Li Zheng Qing quickly replied, “Reporting to Sir, it has been thirteen years since this Old Master advanced to the Peak Earth Realm.”
Yang Kai nodded and looked to the other side, “What about you, Zhuang Ju He?”
Roaring Tiger Sect’s Sect Master, Zhuang Ju He, also stood up quickly and smiled brightly, “I’m slightly better off than Brother Li, it has been eight years for me.”
Yang Kai said, “This world has shackles that bind us tightly. Unless you break free of these shackles, you will never get a glimpse into the mysteries of the Heaven Realm.” Raising a hand, he threw out two bursts of light towards Li Zheng Qing and Zhuang Ju He, “Take this and cultivate hard. Don’t disappoint this King!”
Both Li Zheng Qing and Zhuang Ju He accepted the beams of light, and when they stared down at the item, they immediately became emotional.
Li Zheng Qing’s lips trembled, “T-This… Sir, c-could this be….”
Zhuang Ju He took a deep breath and finished the sentence for Li Zheng Qing, “Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill?”
There was an uproar among the people in the Main Hall and numerous gazes latched onto the pills that Li Zheng Qing and Zhuang Ju He were holding in their hands like leeches. They might not need this pill right now, but it was something they would need one day.
“Yes, they are Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills. As you know, I am now a Heaven-Grade Alchemist. This King refined these two pills himself,” Yang Kai responded indifferently.
He had already learned the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill by heart, so a few days prior, Yang Kai sent his subordinates to purchase some herbs for him and quickly refined some Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills. Seeing as he had no need to conceal his skills anymore, Yang Kai went all out during the refining process and produced six pills in the end. Out of which, one was a High-Rank pill and five were Mid-Rank pills.
To prevent standing out too much, he had only given Li Zheng Qing and Zhuang Ju He a Mid-Rank pill each. Even so, his actions made those two incredibly emotional.
They had known that Yang Kai would one day give them Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills to aid them in advancing to the Heaven Realm if they were loyal enough; however, they never imagined that such a great blessing would come to them so soon! They thought that it would take several years of loyal performance for them to obtain the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill…
Thinking about it again though, Yang Kai’s strength was obvious. Not to mention that he was also a Heaven Grade Alchemist. Earth Realm Masters like themselves were probably of little importance to him. As such, they could play a greater role if he helped them advance into the Heaven Grade as soon as possible.
Li Zheng Qing was the first to return to his senses. He put the pill away with great care and cupped his fist, “Many thanks for your gracious gift, Sir. This Old Master swears that he will repay your kindness!”
He used to be the Great Elder of Tian Luo Hall. Although Tian Luo Hall was not a bad place, he had been suppressed by the Palace Master Shu Wan Cheng, who stood above him.
Most of the resources had been taken by Shu Wan Cheng, so even if Li Zheng Qing wanted to ask a Heaven Grade Alchemist for a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, he could not gather enough compensation to do so.
On the other hand, Shu Wan Cheng had managed to accumulate enough compensation to make such a request. Be that as it may, he still had to wait several years for his turn to come.
The problem Zhuang Ju He faced was similar to Shu Wan Cheng.
Back then, Zhuang Ju He travelled tens of thousands of kilometres to Profound Pill Sect to request a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. He had handed over a substantial reward only to be told that he had to wait for another eight to ten years. But now, there was a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill right in front of him.
He gave a deep sigh as he thought to himself, [The treatment sure is different when you have powerful friends.]
With this pill, he was 80% certain that he could advance into the Heaven Realm. Cupping his fist solemnly, he said, “Many thanks, Sir. This subordinate will not let you down. I will definitely advance into the Heaven Grade as soon as possible and dedicate my services to you!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and swept his gaze over the others below him, “As for the rest of you, there’s no need to be envious of them. If any of you reach the peak of the Earth Grade and wish to advance into the Heaven Realm, feel free to come to me. I will prepare a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill for each of you.”
The expressions of the others changed upon hearing those words, and they thanked him with great emotion.
Even if Yang Kai tried to drive them away now, they would never leave. Staying here meant that there was no need to worry about the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill that was required to advance into the Heaven Realm. Where else would they find such a beneficial deal?
Afterwards, Yang Kai dispersed the crowd and went to check on the studies of Wan Ying Ying and his other two Junior Brothers. He taught them some common knowledge and techniques for Alchemy and only then did he return to his secluded home.
Out of the 100,000 pieces of Red Jade Yang Kai brought back from Heavenly Martial City, only half of them remained. If anybody were to learn about his consumption rate, they would be absolutely shocked. However, for a person who used the Heaven Devouring Battle Law like him, this was the result of deliberate suppression.
The power of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was unfathomable. Even Yang Kai was horrified by this Secret Art that allowed him to devour everything in existence when activated. If he did not deliberately suppress the power of this Secret Art, he would have finished consuming the 100,000 pieces of Red Jade a long time ago.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai needed to allow his body to become accustomed to the surge in his cultivation and he also needed time for the might of his Dragon Vein to remove the hidden dangers brought about by cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Therefore, he had no choice but to slow down his cultivation.
Fortunately, the toughness of his body gradually increased as his cultivation improved and more power from his Dragon Vein could be stimulated as a result. All of this formed a delicate balance with the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, so there were no hidden dangers for the time being.
During this past month, his cultivation did not grow by much as he only advanced from the First-Step Heaven Realm to the Second-Step Heaven Realm. The main reason for such slow progress was that the amount of resources he required just to advance by one Step was colossal now that he was in the Heaven Realm.
Other cultivators might not face such issues, but Yang Kai knew that he was unlike other people.
If it was said that one’s body was a container, then other people might have the capacity of a large lake when they reached the Heaven Realm. In contrast, Yang Kai’s capacity was as large as an ocean. The Spirit Qi he needed to accumulate in order to advance into the next Minor Realm was many times greater than average. The reason for such an occurrence was that the gradual strengthening of his body allowed him to accommodate even more Spirit Qi.
That was why Yang Kai was confident that he could win against most Masters at the Peak Heaven Realm despite only being in the Second-Step Heaven Realm. Moreover, he could succeed purely with his own strength, without the support of the True Void Sword Qi.
The days went by smoothly. In addition to cultivation, Yang Kai would take the time to teach Wan Ying Ying and the others daily. Nothing else required his personal attention as ever since giving Zhuang Ju He and Li Zheng Qing the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills, the entirety of Roaring Tiger Sect and Tian Luo Hall had become absolutely loyal to him.
Meanwhile, the diligence of the younger Void Spirit Sword Sect disciples was gradually producing results in their cultivation.
At present, Void Spirit Sword Sect was no longer lacking in financial resources. Not only did they have the Black Jade mine, but Roaring Tiger Sect and Tian Luo Hall also kept sending various cultivation resources over as tribute. As a result, the disciples no longer needed to suffer through poverty like before.
Thanks to the consumption of various cultivation resources and supplemented by the Body Tempering Secret Art that Yang Kai taught them previously, the bodies of Void Spirit Sword Sect disciples not only became stronger, but their cultivation also improved at a steady pace.
Void Spirit Sword Sect was flourishing by the day. Soon, one month had passed.
Yang Kai stepped out of his secluded home on a bright sunny day. After one month of training, he finally reached the next Step in his cultivation. He was now in the Third-Step Heaven Realm; however, he had used up all the Red Jades that Miao Hong had given to him. There were many Black Jades in Void Spirit Sword Sect, so he decided to give it a try; however, he realised that just like what Miao Hong had said, when a cultivator reached the Heaven Realm, it would be ineffective to use Black Jades to cultivate. Red Jades would be a much better option.
He knew that he should head out to look for cultivation resources.
The notion made him feel slightly somewhat dispirited. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a difficult task for him. Now, he was a Heaven Rank Alchemist, and he possessed the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. Therefore, it wasn’t hard for him to collect some resources.
As long as he exposed the fact that he was able to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, countless cultivators would come over to request Alchemy services from him; after all, in this Divine Armament World, a lot of cultivators were stuck at the peak of Earth Realm.
Yang Kai had already expected this day to come; therefore, before he left Heavenly Martial City previously, he had insinuated to Miao Hong that he might return to the city soon.
Compared to Void Spirit Sword Sect, Heavenly Martial City was much more powerful, and it also had a larger population. Yang Kai had already decided to return to Heavenly Martial City and set up a Pill Shop. While refining pills for others, he could also collect the resources he needed. With sufficient resources, he would be able to reach the peak of the Heaven Realm at the fastest speed.
As for the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill needed for achieving an ascension to the Spirit Realm from the Heaven Realm, Yang Kai could only play it by ear. He wasn’t in a rush anyway, and he believed that a solution would present itself eventually.
He left his secluded home while he was still lost in his thoughts, and when he looked up, he became startled for a moment.
That was because Wan Ying Ying was seated outside his home as she stared vigilantly at Li Zheng Qing, who was just standing in a nearby place with a helpless expression, as though he was waiting for Yang Kai to come out. However, the old man wasn’t in a healthy state as he had been injured. His face was slightly pale, and his arm seemed to have been fractured as it was hung close to his chest with a long piece of cloth.
Upon hearing the noises, Wan Ying Ying and Li Zheng Qing gazed at Yang Kai. The former got up joyfully and dashed towards Yang Kai. In an obedient manner, she called out, “Eldest Senior Brother.”
Yang Kai nodded gently and stroked her head. Wan Ying Ying instantly started blushing as she moved away and pouted, “I’m a grown woman, Eldest Senior Brother. Please stop treating me like a child.”
Despite what she had said, she appeared to be enjoying his touch.
Yang Kai laughed and nodded his head, “Got it. I’ll be more mindful.” Then, he gazed at Li Zheng Qing, “What happened? Who hurt you?”
An embarrassed Li Zheng Qing bent his back and replied, “Sir, I have no idea who hurt me. The person’s Movement Skill was brilliant, so I was unable to see them clearly.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “You’re in the Heaven Realm now. How could you not even see who hurt you?”
Although it had only been a month since he last met Li Zheng Qing, Yang Kai could sense that the old man was now in the Heaven Realm.
Li Zheng Qing started flushing, “I really couldn’t see the person clearly. I’m truly useless.”
“So, what happened?”
Li Zheng Qing hurriedly narrated the incident in detail, as that was the reason he had been waiting here in the first place. Before Yang Kai entered retreat to cultivate, he had ordered that no one should disturb him. Therefore, Wan Ying Ying had been standing guard outside of the secluded home, and she wouldn’t even let Li Zheng Qing come anywhere near the place.
Upon hearing his story, Yang Kai finally learned that about half a month ago, a Heaven Realm Master snuck into Void Spirit Sword Sect. No one knew who the person was or even if they were a man or woman. They also had no idea why the person had snuck into this place.
Li Zheng Qing and Zhuang Ju He ascended to the Heaven Realm not long after. Since this was a serious incident, they personally led their subordinates to look into the matter. Unfortunately, when they finally detected some traces and found the intruder’s hiding place, they were easily defeated by that person. Li Zheng Qing and Zhuang Ju He were injured even though they had joined forces.
Fortunately, that person didn’t seem to have the intention to kill, so after injuring Li Zheng Qing and Zhuang Ju He, they immediately fled. Otherwise, the two new Heaven Realm Masters wouldn’t have been able to survive.
Other than the ones guarding the Black Jade lode, the people from Tian Luo Hall and Roaring Tiger Sect had gone all out to look for that mysterious person, but they hadn’t found a single clue so far.
The reason Li Zheng Qing had been staying there was to inform Yang Kai about it as soon as the latter exited his seclusion.
“A mysterious person, heh…” Yang Kai frowned, “Why do you think that person came to our Sect?”
The elusive person never killed anyone, and they were able to defeat two new Heaven Realm Masters, so it was obvious that they were very strong. The person must be in the Third-Step Heaven Realm at the very least. There must be a reason for such a person to sneak into this place.
Li Zheng Qing replied, “Brother Zhuang and I discuss it before, and we’re worried that the person came here for the Black Jade lode; after all, in Void Spirit Sword Sect, only the Black Jade mine could arouse the interest of Heaven Realm Masters.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “It’s a possibility. Did you find anything in the lode itself?”
Li Zheng Qing shook his head, “That’s what’s strange about it. We didn’t find any trace of the intruder in the mineral lode.”
“Is that person still in Void Spirit Sword Sect?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes.
“Yes, I believe so.” Li Zheng Qing bowed his head, “That person is powerful. Even though we discovered them once, they didn’t immediately leave. Brother Zhuang found the person again last night, but they soon disappeared.”
“Interesting,” Yang Kai’s lips curved into a smile. There was a mysterious Heaven Realm Master who appeared in Void Spirit Sword Sect and kept hiding in different places. It was expected that the people here were anxious. Before they figured out the person’s intentions, the entire Void Spirit Sword Sect would be shrouded in suspense.
“Alright, I’ll…” Before Yang Kai finished his words, he saw a burly man rushing towards them.
“He’s from Tian Luo Hall,” Li Zheng Qing spoke up.
The burly man stood in front of Li Zheng Qing and cupped his fist, “Greetings, Sect Master.”
“What’s wrong?” Li Zheng Qing asked.
The burly man replied, “There’s a Heaven Realm Master at the bottom of the mountain who has requested to meet the Sect Master.”
Li Zheng Qing turned solemn, “A Heaven Realm Master? Did he reveal his background?”
The burly man shook his head, “He didn’t. However, he gave me this thing. He said that the Sect Master will understand it when he sees it.”
Upon finishing his words, he held out a token with both hands.
A doubtful Yang Kai took it and instantly saw the character ‘Gao (高)’ on the token. Upon realising who the visitor was, he said to the burly man, “Invite him to the Reception Hall. I’ll be waiting for him over there.”
“Yes,” the burly man replied and turned to leave.
Li Zheng Qing gazed at Yang Kai and asked, “Sir, could the visitor be…”
“No. He’s from Profound Pill Sect.”
“Profound Pill Sect?” Li Zheng Qing straightened his face as the Sect was truly famous. It was one of Ten Great Sects in the Divine Armament World that currently controlled the Medicine King Furnace Divine Armament.
A moment later, a muscular man stepped into the Reception Hall. Just like what Yang Kai had expected, the visitor was the one he had in mind; however, what surprised Yang Kai was that the man was carrying a person in his hand. This person’s strength was apparently sealed, so they appeared weak while trying to struggle out of the man’s grip.
“Gao Ming greets Alchemist Yang.” The man directly threw the person onto the ground, and ignoring their glare, he cupped his fist to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Are you the bodyguard of Senior Brother Gao?”
When he saw the token just now, he reckoned that Gao Xin Peng must have sent someone over. When they parted ways in Heavenly Martial City previously, Gao Xin Peng said that he had to return to Profound Pill Sect as soon as possible to report the matter of Yang Kai’s existence to his Sect. Two months had passed, so it was about the right time for Profound Pill Sect to react.
“Yes.” Gao Ming nodded.
It was the first time Yang Kai heard his name, so he asked curiously, “You share the same surname as Senior Brother Gao. Are you two from the same family?”
Gao Ming nodded, “That’s right.”
“I see,” Upon hearing that, Yang Kai reckoned that Gao Ming’s loyalty could be guaranteed since he and Gao Xin Peng were from the same family. Gao Xin Peng must share the same concerns, which was why he asked Gao Ming to be his bodyguard.
Then, Yang Kai took a glance at the person who was squirming on the ground and asked curiously, “Who is this?”
The person on the ground was a woman, but her face couldn’t be made out for now. Although her Spirit Qi had been sealed, she was still squirming like a worm as though she was trying to flee. The sight was quite comical.
Gao Ming replied, “I detected this person’s aura when I was climbing the mountain. Since she was being rather stealthy, I decided to capture her. Please forgive me if she’s from your Sect.”
Yang Kai was instantly amused, “She’s not from Void Spirit Sword Sect.” Then, he turned to look at Li Zheng Qing, “Is it her?”
Li Zheng Qing shook his head, “I can’t be sure.”
“Just ask her about it.” Yang Kai rose from the chair and walked up to the woman to block her way. The woman immediately lifted her head and roared, “Get lost!”
Yang Kai adjusted his clothes and squatted in front of her before clenching her chin and lifting her up. He realised that she was a young woman with an alluring face and skin was as fair as snow.
Despite her beautiful looks, the woman was clearly quite fierce and incensed as the first thing she did was widen her mouth in an attempt to bite Yang Kai’s hand.
Yang Kai exerted more force into his grip, which ensured that she was unable to close her mouth. She could only hoot in response.
“Are you the one who has been hiding in Void Spirit Sword Sect?” Yang Kai questioned.
The woman still hooted in response.
Yang Kai grunted and scolded, “I’ll release you, but don’t you bite me; otherwise, I’ll break all your teeth.”
The woman glared at Yang Kai without saying anything.
It was only then that Yang Kai released her, which instantly left some red marks on her fair face.
“Speak. Are you the one who has been making a scene in Void Spirit Sword Sect? Are you the one who hurt my subordinates?”
“So what if it was me?” Despite her alluring face, the woman was hot-tempered, “Release me if you have the guts and fight this Great Aunt!”
Yang Kai chuckled and gazed at Gao Ming, “What’s this woman’s cultivation?”
Gao Ming replied, “Sixth-Step Heaven Realm or slightly higher.”
“You’re unlucky, then.” Yang Kai started sympathising with her. A Sixth-Step Heaven Realm Master should be quite powerful, and she was basically peerless in Void Spirit Sword Sect; however, she happened to come across Gao Ming, which was why she was easily captured.
“What’s your name? Where are you from?” Yang Kai asked.
The woman glared at him, “Do you think I’ll tell you?”
“You’re pretty hot-tempered.” Yang Kai grinned, then yelled, “Li Zheng Qing!”
“Yes!” Li Zheng Qing hurriedly stepped forward.
“Whip her 100 times before I interrogate her.”
Li Zheng Qing was startled for a moment, but he soon replied, “Yes.” Then, he moved towards the woman.
The woman was horrified. 100 whips were no big deal as since she was a Heaven Realm Master, the torture wouldn’t kill her; however, after 100 whips, her clothes would certainly be destroyed. How was she going to face anyone when her body was exposed by then?
She couldn’t believe that such a vicious man existed in this world.
“My name is Hua Rong! Hua Rong!” The woman hurriedly spoke up.
“So, it’s Sister Hua.” Yang Kai nodded gently, “What are you doing in Void Spirit Sword Sect?”
Hua Rong batted her alluring eyes, “Will you believe me if I say I’m having a stroll around here since this place is beautiful and serene?”
Yang Kai looked up and shouted, “Li Zheng Qing!”
“Wait! If you don’t believe me, I’ll come up with another excuse!” Hua Rong cried.
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Take her away and whip her 100 times.”
“True Void Sword!” Hua Rong exclaimed, “I’m here for the True Void Sword!”
“Oh?” Yang Kai arched his brow, then took the sword from his waist and waved it in front of her, “You’re here for this sword?”
Hua Rong nodded, “Yes.”
Yang Kai stared fixedly at her and realised that she didn’t seem to be lying. She really seemed to be here for the True Void Sword. It seemed that he and Li Zheng Qing had gotten it wrong.
The Black Jade lode in Void Spirit Sword Sect wasn’t the only thing that could arouse the interest of Heaven Realm Masters. There was also the True Void Sword.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t surprising at all. Although the True Void Sword was just a replica of a Divine Armament, it was still commissioned by the True Void Sword Lord using a lot of money and resources. Therefore, the True Void Sword was no ordinary weapon as it was a Spirit Armament, making it practically invaluable.
However, since this was the inheritance left behind by the True Void Sword Lord for his descendants, there were naturally some security measures in place.
The sword had three distinct portions of Sword Qi sealed within it and could only be safely used by one who cultivated the Void Spirit Sword Art. If an unsuspecting person rashly activated the sword’s power, the True Void Sword Qi would kill the wielder instead of their enemies.
It wasn’t certain how Hua Rong found out that the True Void Sword had appeared, but that was apparently the reason she had come all the way here. Unfortunately, even if she managed to obtain the sword, she wouldn’t be able to use it unless she was able to remove the Sword Qi from within it.
“That’s the True Void Sword?” To the side, Gao Ming, who had always remained calm and collected, was shocked as he looked dazedly at the sword in Yang Kai’s hand.
As a Heaven Realm Master, he certainly had heard about True Void Sword before as it was one of the Ten Great Divine Armaments.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Of course, it’s not the real True Void Sword. An Ancestor from Void Spirit Sword Sect made this weapon by imitating the Divine Armament. It’s just a Spirit Armament.”
“A Spirit Armament…” Gao Ming took a deep breath. Although this True Void Sword was just a Spirit Armament, no ordinary person had the right to possess it. Such a treasure would bring misfortune to its owner if they weren’t strong enough. It was imaginable that if word got out, Void Spirit Sword Sect would never have any peaceful days again.
Forget about Heaven Realm Masters, even many Spirit Realm Masters would come over to snatch this weapon.
“You’re pretty good at gathering information,” Yang Kai flashed a smile at the woman.
Hua Rong remained curled up like a worm, but she was no longer squirming. The main reason was that all her Spirit Qi had been sealed, so it was pointless for her to struggle. As she gazed at Yang Kai with a tilted head, she suggested by saying, “Your Sect is unable to keep this weapon. Why don’t you give the sword to me to save yourselves some trouble? Your problems will all be solved then.”
“Even if I give it to you, do you think you can keep it?” Yang Kai burst into laughter.
Hua Rong shrugged, “That’s my problem.”
To the side, Gao Ming snorted, “A Spirit Armament is truly precious. However, if Alchemist Yang is unable to keep it, no one else in the world can do that.”
Hua Rong was startled for a moment, “How arrogant! How could Void Spirit Sword Sect…”
Gao Ming cut her off by saying, “Void Spirit Sword Sect naturally can’t hold onto a Spirit Armament, but what about Profound Pill Sect?”
“Profound Pill Sect?” Hua Rong was astonished as she gazed at Yang Kai in puzzlement, “You’re from Profound Pill Sect?”
Gao Ming stated, “Alchemist Yang is a disciple of the thirty-fourth generation from Profound Pill Sect, and he’s also a Heaven Grade Alchemist!”
“What!?” Hua Rong was flabbergasted as she got to her knees and looked up at Yang Kai. With widened eyes, she stuttered, “He… is a Heaven Grade Alchemist?”
“What’s so surprising about it?” Yang Kai looked smilingly at her.
Hua Rong examined him and tutted, “It’s said that one can’t judge a book by its cover. If I hadn’t heard it from a cultivator who’s at the peak of the Heaven Realm, I wouldn’t have believed it. By the way, who are you?” As she spoke, she turned to look at Gao Ming.
She was truly unlucky to have been captured by Gao Ming. Initially, given her cultivation, Void Spirit Sword Sect was basically defenceless against her. Unfortunately, she happened to come across a cultivator who was at the peak of the Heaven Realm.
It was said that curiosity killed the cat. When Gao Ming was going up the mountain, Hua Rong secretly took a peek at him, which was why her whereabouts were exposed. She was subsequently captured by him.
A proud Gao Ming declared, “I’m a Blood Warrior under Heaven Grade Alchemist Gao Xin Peng, Gao Ming!”
“A Blood Warrior from Profound Pill Sect?” Hua Rong’s pupils contracted, then she let out a sigh, “It’s no wonder you were able to capture me easily. I admit defeat.”
She no longer appeared high-spirited as she sat on her backside and looked away, “Just kill me. I’ve made a rash move and offended a Heaven Grade Alchemist, so I deserve to die despite being such a young woman.”
She seemed to be a resolute person, and if it weren’t because her eyes were darting around when she spoke, Yang Kai would’ve admired her audacity.
“Since you’ve barged into Void Spirit Sword Sect and wounded my subordinates, I can’t let you off easily; however, seeing as you didn’t have the intention to kill, I won’t sentence you to death. Why don’t you receive one attack move from me? I’ll release you after that.” Yang Kai looked condescendingly at her.
Hua Rong was surprised, “Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I’m pulling your leg?” Yang Kai dispassionately replied.
Hua Rong was startled for a moment, then nodded, “You’re a good man. I’m in the wrong as I shouldn’t have offended your Sect.”
Yang Kai turned to look at Gao Ming, “Please lift her seal.”
Gao Ming appeared hesitant, but he still stepped forward and sent his Spirit Qi into her to release the seal he had placed. Hua Rong immediately got up and began stretching her limbs.
Gao Ming said, “Please be careful, Alchemist Yang. Although this woman is weaker than me, she’s still pretty strong. It took me quite some effort to capture her just now.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded and gazed at the woman, “Are you ready?”
“Of course I…” Before Hua Rong could finish her words, she saw something flashing through her eyes. When she came to her senses, she realised that Yang Kai was already right in front of her. From the corner of her eye, she could see something coming right at her head so she anxiously lifted her arms to block it.
“How could…” Before she could accuse Yang Kai of launching a sneak attack, she heard a loud bang. Instantly, she became dizzy, and after staggering for a bit, she collapsed to the ground.
Raising his True Void Sword, Yang Kai took a glance at the unmoving woman and frowned, “I guess I used too much force.”
The weapon was sheathed when Yang Kai struck Hua Rong’s head with the flat of his blade. Although she had passed out, her injury shouldn’t have been serious.
Gao Ming was dumbfounded. After lifting the woman’s seal, he secretly circulated his Spirit Qi and was ready to make a move to ensure nothing unexpected would happen, but the subsequent incident thoroughly shocked him.
He thought that Yang Kai was a pretty despicable man. How could Yang Kai launch a sneak attack on such an alluring woman? That wasn’t what a gentleman should do.
Nevertheless, he wouldn’t dare to say it out loud.
“Ying Ying, throw her off the mountain,” Yang Kai gave an order to Wan Ying Ying, who was still dumbstruck.
“En,” Wan Ying Ying replied and picked up Hua Rong before shuffling out.
A moment later, a speechless Wan Ying Ying returned.
Li Zheng Qing was stunned, “Did you get rid of her so soon?”
Wan Ying Ying replied, “No. That woman wasn’t really passed out. Not long after I left this place, she woke up and leapt off the mountain.”
Upon realising what had happened, Li Zheng Qing remarked, “She’s quite a clever woman.”
That Hua Rong obviously pretended to have passed out; otherwise, she couldn’t have regained consciousness so soon. Then, Li Zheng Qing looked worriedly at Yang Kai, “Sir, will there be a problem if we let her go?”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Don’t mind her. She doesn’t have any ill intentions. I guess she’s just interested in the True Void Sword; otherwise, you and Zhuang Ju He would have been killed. Since she doesn’t have the intention to kill, a light punishment for her was enough.”
“You’re indeed a righteous man, Sir,” Li Zheng Qing bent his back.
Yang Kai recalled the sight of him striking the woman with his sword. Now, he had a better understanding of the power he had grasped. He then turned to look at Gao Ming and said, “Sorry for the farce, Brother Gao.”
Gao Ming hurriedly replied, “Please don’t call me that, Alchemist Yang. I don’t deserve it. Just call me Guardian Gao.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Why have you come to Void Spirit Sword Sect, Guardian Gao? Does Senior Brother Gao want you to pass on a message to me?”
Gao Ming cupped his fist, “Senior Gao wants me to bring you back to Profound Pill Sect. He said that since you’re also part of Profound Pill Sect, you should return to your roots and acknowledge your ancestry. Besides that, the Elders have some questions for you as well.”
“I see,” Yang Kai felt his heart skipping. Although he knew that the matter regarding Profound Pill Sect would be a problem, he hadn’t expected it to come so soon.
Previously, in Heavenly Martial City, Yang Kai randomly came up with an imaginary Master to explain his skills, and Gao Xin Peng someone concluded that person was a Senior from Profound Pill Sect. That was why Yang Kai suddenly became related to Profound Pill Sect.
Honestly speaking, Yang Kai never wanted to go to Profound Pill Sect. Although he was able to fool Gao Xin Peng previously, it would be terrible if his lie was exposed after he headed there. Yang Kai believed that there were many Spirit Realm Masters in Profound Pill Sect since it was one of the Ten Great Sects, and there was no way he could go up against such a force as he was currently.
Once his lie was exposed, he would be doomed.
However, since those from Profound Pill Sect were aware of Yang Kai’s existence, and Gao Xin Peng had sent someone over to invite him, it would arouse their suspicion if he rejected the invitation, and his lie might be exposed.
It seemed that he had no choice but to head to Profound Pill Sect.
Nevertheless, it would be a good thing if he could really join Profound Pill Sect. Although it had only been two months since he ascended to the Heaven Realm, it would only take him a few years before he could make it to the Spirit Realm given the speed at which he cultivated using the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. By then, he would need to use the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
The Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill was a Spirit Pill. Only a small number of great forces in the Divine Armament World possessed the pill recipe, and each one was a top existence in this world.
It was practically impossible for Yang Kai to get the pill recipe of the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill from those great forces; however, if he could assimilate into Profound Pill Sect, he might be able to get the pill recipe from them.
All in all, there were pros and cons if he headed to Profound Pill Sect.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai decided to give it a try. It was said that fortune favours the bold, so he reckoned that it was worth going to Profound Pill Sect. As long as he was careful enough, his lie wouldn’t be exposed; after all, he had successfully fooled Gao Xin Peng already.
At the thought of this, he nodded, “Since it’s an order from Senior Brother Gao, I’ll definitely obey; however, Void Spirit Sword Sect…”
Gao Ming said, “Don’t worry, Alchemist Yang. You’re a Heaven-Grade Alchemist and a disciple from Profound Pill Sect. As long as word spreads, no one will dare to harm Void Spirit Sword Sect.”
Yang Kai reckoned that the other man was right. No one in the Divine Armament World was willing to rashly offend a Heaven Grade Alchemist, especially when he had something to do with Profound Pill Sect.
“Will you please wait here for two days, Guardian Gao? I’ll settle everything in my Sect and follow you to Profound Pill Sect.”
Gao Ming naturally wouldn’t object to it.
For the next two days, Yang Kai was busy handling all the trivial matters in Void Spirit Sword Sect. His trip to Profound Pill Sect was risky, so he decided not to bring anyone with him; furthermore, there were only two Heaven Realm Masters in Void Spirit Sword Sect, so it was pointless to bring them with him. He’d rather let them stay here to protect the Sect.
With Li Zheng Qing and Zhuang Ju He guarding Void Spirit Sword Sect, they could at least fend off some reckless people.
Yang Kai then refined some Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill and passed them to Su Chang Fa so that there wouldn’t be a lack of such pills when their disciples had to achieve an ascension. There was a Black Jade mine in the Master Sect as well as other businesses controlled by Tian Luo Hall and Roaring Tiger Sect, which could sustain the Sect’s development for a long time.
As for the Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, Yang Kai had some arrangements for them as well. Wan Ying Ying and two other Junior Brothers had gained some experience in the Alchemic Dao, so there wouldn’t be a problem after they were given some pills for Body Tempering. What they lacked was cultivation, which couldn’t be solved in a short time.
Yang Kai also left behind a book which contained his insights into Alchemy for Wan Ying Ying. The book also contained many pill recipes. With this thing in her possession, she could still cultivate Alchemy on her own even though Yang Kai wouldn’t be by her side.
Everything was settled in two days. Outside the mountain, Yang Kai bid farewell to the Seniors, Junior Brothers, and Junior Sisters of his Master Sect. Su Chang Fa and the others were worried as, after they parted ways, it would probably take a long time before they reunited. Furthermore, Yang Kai was going to a faraway place. As Seniors, Su Chang Fa and the others were expected to be worried.
Wan Ying Ying was sobbing as she wouldn’t let go of Yang Kai’s clothes.
“Alright, stop crying. I’ll come back to visit you all after some time.” Yang Kai helped Wan Ying Ying brush the tears from her eyes. If it weren’t because he was worried that he might fall into trouble in Profound Pill Sect, he could have brought Wan Ying Ying with him and personally taught her; however, his future was uncertain, so it might do more harm than good to her if he brought her with him.
“Please take good care of yourself, Eldest Senior Brother. If you feel aggrieved in the outside world, remember you can always come back!” Wan Ying Ying cried.
“En, please protect the Sect on my behalf. If anything happens, go to Profound Pill Sect to look for me.”
Yang Kai then turned to look at Li Zheng Qing and Zhuang Ju He, “Both of you will be in charge of Void Spirit Sword Sect when I’m not around.”
They cupped their fists and said with straight faces, “Don’t worry. We’ll not disappoint you.”
Then, Yang Kai also talked to Su Chang Fa, Gu Kang Ning, and Hong Xiu for a bit before he leaped onto his horse and beckoned to Gao Ming, “Let’s go.”
Gao Ming nodded his head and led the way for him. After waving his hand at the crowd, Yang Kai clenched the horse with his legs and charged forward, soon disappearing into the distance.
Profound Pill Sect was pretty far away as it would take them half a month to arrive at their destination. They would also pass by Heavenly Martial City on their way.
However, not long after they left the mountain, Gao Ming frowned and looked behind as though he had detected something.
Yang Kai said, “Keep going. Let’s see what she’s up to.”
A surprised Gao Ming asked, “You’re aware of it as well, Alchemist Yang?” He was at the peak of the Heaven Realm, so it was expected that he could detect any anomaly around them; however, Yang Kai was a newly promoted Heaven Realm Master, so it was surprising that he had also noticed it.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Alchemists have very sensitive perceptions; otherwise, we can’t accurately control our Alchemy Flames.”
After giving it a thought, Gao Ming realised that it was true. Alchemists indeed had more acute senses; therefore, he obeyed his order and kept going.
Upon moving past a col, they hid on the side and waited patiently.
Soon, a figure was charging forward in their direction. As soon as she dashed past the col, she saw two people staring fixedly at her. She instantly stiffened and became rooted to the spot.
With a cold expression, Gao Ming glowered at Hua Rong, who had been tailing them.
Hua Rong batted her eyes, then rubbed her palms together and beamed at them, “What a coincidence. I didn’t expect to bump into you here. Are you leaving? Where are you going?”
There was still a bump on the woman’s forehead after Yang Kai struck her with his sword previously. It looked like there was a horn on her head, which was quite comical.
Gao Ming questioned grimly, “Why are you stalking us?”
“Huh? Who’s stalking you?” Hua Rong looked around, then pointed at her own nose, “Are you talking about me? I’m worried it’s just a misunderstanding. I happened to…” She soon realised she was unable to keep fabricating a lie, so she said meekly, “Alright, it seems that you won’t believe me.”
Not wanting to waste any more time on her, Yang Kai shook his head and warned, “Stop following us, or I’ll hit your head one more time.”
Then, he leaped onto the back of his horse and beckoned to Gao Ming before galloping away.
However, Hua Rong used a profound Movement Skill as she tagged along with Yang Kai closely and asked curiously, “Are you really a Heaven Grade Alchemist? Did you lie to me?”
Yang Kai shot her a glance, wondering what was wrong with her. Her head was previously struck by his sword, but she still relentlessly followed him. It wasn’t certain what she was up to.
“Would you like to hire a bodyguard who is loyal and manageable? How do you find me?” Hua Rong kept babbling regardless of whether Yang Kai would respond to her.
“It’s really easy to manage me. You just have to give me some resources and food every day, and I won’t demand anything else. If anyone tries to harm you, I’ll protect you.” Hua Rong tried her best to recommend herself, “Moreover, I’m quite beautiful, so you can look at me when you’re bored. Of course, you can’t do anything to me. I’ll only be a bodyguard, not a whore. What do you think? Do consider hiring me. I’m a powerful Sixth-Step Heaven Realm Master.”
Unable to take it anymore, Yang Kai grabbed his sword and attempted to strike her head while bellowing, “Take this!”
A shocked Hua Rong instinctively covered her head and leaped away.
Seizing the chance, Yang Kai hastened his pace and left her behind.
Watching the man leave, Hua Rong was infuriated. She gritted her teeth and raced after him; however, she wouldn’t dare to go near him this time as she tailed him from a distance.
After pondering on it for a moment, Gao Ming said, “It seems that woman is determined to become your bodyguard, Alchemist Yang. It’s no wonder you’re unable to get rid of her.”
A helpless Yang Kai replied, “I can’t believe there’s such an unreasonable person in this world.”
Gao Ming shook his head, “You might not be aware of it, but it’s actually quite normal. Many Heaven Realm Masters aspire to become the bodyguards of Heaven Grade Alchemists. In that case, not only could their cultivation resources be guaranteed, but they also wouldn’t have to worry about obtaining a Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill once that Heaven Grade Alchemist manages to ascend to the Spirit Grade in the future. It’s a clever move.”
Although Yang Kai was already aware of such information, he still found it inconceivable when he finally had a taste of it. Hua Rong was a powerful Sixth-Step Heaven Realm Master, but she could be so obstinate in order to serve him.
“Is that the same case for you, Guardian Gao?” Yang Kai asked.
Gao Ming shook his head, “I’m different from them. As a Blood Warrior of Profound Pill Sect, I was born to protect the Alchemists in the Sect. When you arrive at Profound Pill Sect, you also have a right to select Blood Warriors to protect you.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Yang Kai was surprised. He then recalled that when Hua Rong saw Gao Ming two days ago, she indeed mentioned the Blood Warriors of Profound Pill Sect; however, he wasn’t bothered about it at that time.
Gao Ming went on to say, “Alchemists spend most of their time practising Alchemy, and they rely on pills to increase their cultivation; therefore, they’re usually not very strong. In that case, their safety can’t be guaranteed when they go outside. Considering all that, our Sect trains a number of Blood Warriors from youth. When an Alchemist of our Sect reaches the Earth Realm, he’ll have a chance to select a Blood Warrior, and there’ll be another chance when he ascends to the Heaven Realm. Therefore, a Heaven Grade Alchemist from our Sect usually has two Blood Warriors while an Earth Grade Alchemist has one. Of course, besides the Blood Warriors from our Sect, the Alchemist can also hire bodyguards from outside. Nevertheless, he’ll have to bear the costs of hiring one.”
Yang Kai was stunned by how generous Profound Pill Sect was. Just like what Gao Ming had said, Blood Warriors started receiving training in the Sect when they were young, so they could be said to be the disciples of the Sect. The only difference was that they were trained to fight, and their loyalty wasn’t a concern at all. With the protection of Blood Warriors, the Alchemists from Profound Pill Sect could rest assured when they headed out into the world.
Blood Warriors were something that was familiar yet distant to Yang Kai. When he was still in the Great Han Dynasty, there was a group of Blood Warriors in the Yang Family whose duties were about the same as those from Profound Pill Sect.
“Unlike the bodyguards hired from outside, Blood Warriors can get a certain amount of resources from the Sect every month, so we could be considered part of the Sect. Moreover…” Gao Ming put on a smile at this point, “We can get a lot of good stuff from the Alchemists we follow; therefore, those from the Blood Warrior Hall yearn to be selected by an Alchemist. Whenever an Alchemist comes over to select a Blood Warrior, those little brats all become quite energetic.”
“It’s understandable.” Yang Kai could imagine the sight, then he took a look at Hua Rong, who had been tailing them, “In that case, it seems I was wrong about her.”
Gao Ming said, “That doesn’t matter. You’d better not rashly accept any strangers. If you want a bodyguard, you can select one from the Blood Warrior Hall when we get to the Sect.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, then suddenly recalled something, “Are there Spirit Realm Masters in the Blood Warrior Hall?”
Gao Ming shook his head, “No. Throughout the entire Divine Armament World, Spirit Realm Masters are considered peak experts. Such people naturally wouldn’t stay in the Blood Warrior Hall. However, many of the Blood Warriors grow with their Alchemists; therefore, the bodyguards of the Elders are basically all Spirit Realm Masters. You’ll find out more about it when you arrive at Profound Pill Sect.”
Yang Kai went on to ask more about Profound Pill Sect, and Gao Ming replied to him honestly. The main reason was that Yang Kai didn’t inquire about any secrets, so there was no need to hide anything from him. In any case, given Gao Ming’s position in the Sect, he was unable to get his hands on any top secrets.
Yang Kai stealthily tried to get more information about the person he claimed to be his Master; however, Gao Ming had no idea about this revered but mysterious person. The main reason was that he wasn’t Gao Xin Peng’s bodyguard at that time as he was still in the Blood Warrior Hall, so he had never come across that person.
Since Yang Kai was unable to gather any useful information, he could only give up. Now, he could only play it by ear and try to make sure his lie wouldn’t be exposed. He still hoped to get the pill recipe for the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill from Profound Pill Sect.
As they moved forward at full speed, they arrived at Heavenly Martial City three days later. They decided to visit Miao Hong and stayed over for one night.
Miao Hong received them in a hospitable manner, and upon learning that Yang Kai was returning to his roots in Profound Pill Sect, he congratulated him.
The next day, they leaped onto different horses and continued their journey.
They never came across any trouble along the way. Gao Ming was at the Peak Heaven Realm, and he was from Profound Pill Sect. Naturally, no one would dare to offend him.
Half a month later, they finally arrived at Profound Pill Sect.
The mountains were huge and the Spirit Peaks were beautiful. As one of the Ten Great Sects in the Divine Armament World, Profound Pill Sect was located in a picturesque mountain range. There was a city at the bottom of a mountain that was named Profound Pill City, which was bustling with noise.
According to Gao Ming, even though the city was the property of Profound Pill Sect, they didn’t really mean to develop it. It was just that the city had developed into such a scale over a long time.
Countless cultivators would come here every year to ask the Alchemists from Profound Pill Sect to refine pills for them. Most people were unable to enter Profound Pill Sect, so they would wait at the bottom of the mountain. There wasn’t a city initially, but as more people gathered together, a city was gradually formed. The city’s scale then increased over time. Now, Profound Pill City was one of the largest cities in the entire Divine Armament World.
In Profound Pill City, there were a lot of herb shops and pill shops. One could find any herbs that existed in the Divine Armament World in this city.
Before Yang Kai even entered the city, he saw many people flying around in the sky, which greatly surprised him.
He was now a Heaven Realm Master, and although he was able to fly, he would have to consume a lot of Spirit Qi to do so. Heaven Realm Masters usually wouldn’t fly unless it was absolutely necessary. People who could fly as they pleased were Spirit Realm Masters.
In other words, the people flying around before his eyes were basically all Spirit Realm Masters.
These were the strongest cultivators in the Divine Armament World and there was no doubt that the Spirit Realm was the goal for all Heaven Realm Masters. At the very least, Yang Kai could see a sense of yearning in Gao Ming’s eyes as he gazed up at the sky.
Gao Ming was now at the peak of the Heaven Realm, so with just one Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, he would be able to make it to the Spirit Realm.
Unfortunately, Gao Xin Peng wasn’t a Spirit Grade Alchemist yet, so he was unable to refine the pill for him.
Outside Profound Pill City, there was a wide avenue that was paved with stones which led to the nearest Spirit Peak. Gao Ming led Yang Kai to charge forward in that direction and no one stopped them.
However, Yang Kai could see many people walking on both sides of the road. Some of them appeared nervous as they were going up the mountain while some of them appeared dejected or excited as they were going down the mountain.
Although there wasn’t a restriction around the avenue, there seemed to be an invisible power that ensured no one would dare to step on it. While Yang Kai and Gao Ming were moving forward, those people looked at them with envious gazes.
Noticing Yang Kai’s doubt, Gao Ming secretly explained, “This avenue is exclusive to the disciples of Profound Pill Sect. Those who are not our disciples are not allowed to use it. The people you see are the ones who are here to ask for Alchemy services from our Sect.”
“There are so many of them!” Yang Kai was shocked.
Gao Ming said with a smile, “There are actually not many people today. There are days when more than twice as many people line the streets here.”
It was then that Yang Kai realised why those people sported different expressions. Those who got their pills were excited while those who didn’t were crestfallen.
“The Sect established the Seeking Pill Pavilion where people would go to request for pills. When you have a right to make pills in the future, you can set up a place there and get a medicine boy to be stationed there. If anybody wants you to refine pills, they will pass the necessary ingredients and compensation to your medicine boy.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened when he heard that, “That’s interesting.” Then, he turned to look in a different direction, “What are those people doing there? Is that Seeking Pill Pavilion?”
He could see that there was a huge platform where a large group of people, both men and women of different ages, gathered together. After scanning them, Yang Kai realised that many of them were cultivators in the Earth Realm or Heaven Realm. They had occupied the corners as they either looked around vigilantly or cultivated with their legs crossed on the ground. There were several dozen to a hundred of them.
What bothered Yang Kai was that there were traces of blood that had turned crimson on the ground. The traces of blood were a mess, and some of them were multi-layered. Yang Kai had a feeling that many fights had taken place here before.
The place was at the bottom of the mountain where Profound Pill Sect was located, so why would anyone get into a fight there?
Looking over, Gao Ming explained, “That’s not Seeking Pill Pavilion. That’s the Recruitment Stage.”
“Recruitment Stage?” Yang Kai frowned, “What is it for?”
Gao Ming swept a glance over them and suddenly pulled the reins of his horse, “Since we still have some time, you can take a look to find out what the place is for.”
Yang Kai stopped his horse beside Gao Ming and looked curiously at the Recruitment Stage.
Just then, a young man with a blue hat walked down the mountain with his hands behind his back. Despite his young age, he looked pretty arrogant. Yang Kai felt like laughing when he saw him.
However, when the cultivators on the Recruitment Stage saw the blue hat youth, they broke into a commotion as though a stone had been dropped into a still lake, which caused a layer of ripple to form.
The blue-hat youth directly shuffled towards the centre of the Recruitment Stage and looked around with a smug expression. Seeing that all of their attention was on him, he coughed lightly and said, “My Master needs to hire two bodyguards. He has total trust in me, so he has entrusted me to handle this matter.”
As soon as he finished speaking, one of them hurriedly asked, “Sir, is your Master in the Heaven Grade or the Earth Grade?”
The blue-hat youth glared at the person who spoke as though he was blaming him for saying something unnecessary. A moment later, he reluctantly replied, “He’s an Earth Grade Alchemist for now, but I believe he’ll make it to the Heaven Grade soon.”
Right after he finished his words, the eyes of many of the cultivators on the Recruitment Stage dimmed and soon, many cultivators left. Seeing that, the blue-hat youth yelled, “Don’t go! I said that my Master will make it to the Heaven Grade very soon. By then, you’ll be the bodyguards of a Heaven-Grade Alchemist! It’s not every day you get such a chance! If you don’t seize it now, you’ll regret it in the future!”
Regardless of what he said, those who were determined to leave had stepped down from the Recruitment Stage. About half of the cultivators were left.
Yang Kai could clearly see that the people who left were all in the Heaven Realm while the ones who stayed were in the Earth Realm.
He had a speculation about the use of the Recruitment Stage, so he gazed at Gao Ming and asked, “Is it a place where Alchemists hire bodyguards?”
Gao Ming nodded, “That’s right. Besides the Blood Warriors assigned to them, Alchemists can also hire their own bodyguards, and there isn’t a limit in number. Of course, the prerequisite is that they have enough money to employ them.”
“Did the Heaven Realm Masters leave because they think an Earth-Grade Alchemist wouldn’t have enough money to pay them?”
“That’s one of the reasons. Another thing is these Heaven Realm Masters treasure their dignity, and it’s reasonable that they want to follow at least a Heaven Grade Alchemist. They wouldn’t be able to get over it if they followed Earth Grade Alchemists.”
Yang Kai nodded to mean that he got it.
The blue-hat youth was haughty when he came, but at this moment, he appeared dispirited. While standing in the centre of the Recruitment Stage, he let out a sigh.
One of the Earth Realm Masters asked, “Sir, what are your Master’s requirements when selecting bodyguards?”
“Requirements?” The blue-hat youth looked up at the sky as though he was bored, then he grinned, “There aren’t really any special requirements. Why don’t all of you fight against each other? I’ll select the people I prefer and bring you to see my Master. Perhaps my Master will hire some of you.”
The demand was boorish, but the Earth Realm Masters seemed to have directly accepted it, so the person who asked the question nodded, “Understood.”
At that instant, the atmosphere around the Recruitment Stage became tense. Everyone, regardless of their age or gender, gazed vigilantly at the people around them. It seemed that a scuffle was about to take place.
It was then Yang Kai realised why there were so many traces of blood on the Recruitment Stage. A scuffle could be ignited when it was just an Earth-Grade Alchemist who tried to hire bodyguards, so nothing need be said about a Heaven-Grade Alchemist. This situation was clearly quite common in this place.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai wasn’t in the mood to watch such a farce. He pulled the reins and beckoned to Gao Ming, after which the two of them continued moving forward. Soon, the noises of battle could be heard coming from behind them.
With Gao Ming leading the way, Yang Kai soon arrived at the Spirit Peak nearest to them. It was supposed to be the Reception Peak of Profound Pill Sect as there was a Reception Palace located here. Upon his arrival, Yang Kai was led by a maidservant to a room to get some rest.
Gao Ming stated, “Please wait here, Alchemist Yang. I’ve sent a message to Sir, and he’ll be here soon.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “Many thanks.”
Gao Ming cupped his fist and turned around to leave. Yang Kai was left in the room to wait patiently.
One hour later, Gao Xin Peng was still nowhere to be seen. Since Yang Kai was bored, he decided to leave this room and take a stroll.
The maidservant followed him closely. Yang Kai took a glance at her but didn’t mind it; after all, he was unfamiliar with this place as he had just arrived, so it would be good to have someone to guide him and answer his questions if he got lost.
The Reception Peak was in the periphery of Profound Pill Sect. Yang Kai wasn’t surprised that he was told to stay here; after all, he wasn’t a disciple of Profound Pill Sect yet, so he didn’t have the right to enter the inner area.
The view on the Reception Peak was splendid as the buildings were finely built, and there was ample World Energy.
After taking a stroll for half a day, Yang Kai returned to the guest room. Gao Xin Peng happened to arrive at this point.
“Junior Brother Yang! I’m sorry for making you wait for such a long time.” Gao Xin Peng was still as passionate as ever, “It so happened that it was my turn to teach today. I was giving a lesson on Alchemy to the Juniors, which was why I was held up.”
“It’s fine, Senior Brother. I didn’t really wait for long,” Yang Kai put on a smile and invited him to have a seat.
Gao Xin Peng took a glance at him and nodded, “You’re a Heaven Realm Master now, Junior Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “It’s thanks to the High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill you gave me, Senior Brother.”
Gao Xin Peng waved his hand, “Even without that pill, you still would’ve broken through successfully; after all, your aptitude is extraordinary.” All of a sudden, his expression turned solemn, “I’m sure Gao Ming told you about the reason you were asked to come here.”
Yang Kai nodded, “All my Alchemy skills come from Profound Pill Sect. Although I don’t have a title, I’m still a disciple of Profound Pill Sect.”
“That’s right,” Gao Xin Peng gently knocked on the table, “The thing is, when I returned to the Sect previously, I reported your matter to the higher-ups. They take this matter very seriously; after all, it has something to do with that person. That’s why they told me to invite you to this place; however, before that, there’ll be a test to find out whether you’ve really inherited the Alchemy skills from Profound Pill Sect.”
“A test?” Yang Kai arched his brow, “What is it about?”
Gao Xin Peng replied with a smile, “Don’t worry, Junior Brother. They’ll just be asking you to refine a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. The pill recipe you possess is the best proof. Some of the higher-ups will also observe the test. You’ll just have to perform as usual by then. Of course, they may ask you some questions, but I’m sure that won’t be a problem for you.”
The last part was actually what Yang Kai was most worried about. There wouldn’t be a problem if he was only asked to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill; after all, he had stolen the pill recipe from Gao Xin Peng, so there wouldn’t be any mistakes. However, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself if he was asked to talk about that person.
The only things he knew were that the Master was an old person with an extra finger on one hand.
Although he felt helpless, Yang Kai didn’t show any distress on his face and simply asked, “When will the test be held?”
“It’s up to the higher-ups, but I believe it will be held within a few days. You have to get prepared. I’ll inform you when there’s any news about it.” Gao Xin Peng seemed to have other matters to attend to as he rose from the chair upon finishing his words, “Since you’ve come all the way here, I’m supposed to treat you to a meal; however, I’m truly busy today, so I’ll get back to you on that. Not to worry, I’ll prepare a proper banquet for you at a later time.”
Yang Kai got up and saw him off, “Please attend to your matters since you’re busy, Senior Brother. I can take care of myself.”
“Good, then I’ll take my leave now,” After Gao Xin Peng finished his words, he left the place in a hurry.
Yang Kai followed him to the door, then turned around and sat down to get some rest.
A night passed in silence. The next day, Yang Kai waited for half a day but there still wasn’t any news, and he didn’t have any resources with him to cultivate. Since he was bored, he decided to take a walk. After taking a stroll around the Reception Peak though, he was still quite bored. Therefore, he found the maidservant and asked, “Will it be alright if I go down the mountain?”
The maidservant saluted him in an elegant manner, “Alchemist Gao has said that Sir is free to do whatever you want. Just make sure to come back every night.”
“Oh, there won’t be a problem, then,” Yang Kai said and walked down the mountain.
When he was going up the mountain alongside Gao Ming previously, he only took a glance at the Recruitment Stage but didn’t pay attention to the view along the way. As he walked down the mountain now, Yang Kai realised that the moving clouds were rather soothing.
Upon reaching the middle of the mountain, he saw many people mulling around. The people who were supposed to be asking for pills from the bottom of the mountain were streaming in that direction.
As he recalled Gao Ming’s words, Yang Kai soon realised that this was around where Seeking Pill Pavilion was located, the place where outsiders came to request Alchemy services.
A curious Yang Kai shuffled towards Seeking Pill Pavilion as he listened to the people talking among themselves.
As he continued moving forward, a huge palace soon came into his sight. There was a stone monument in front of the palace on which the characters ‘Seeking Pill Pavilion’ were carved into it.
Yang Kai was startled for a moment. When he heard about Seeking Pill Pavilion previously, he thought that it would be a small pavilion. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised he had underestimated the wealth of Profound Pill Sect.
The huge palace before him could easily accommodate several hundred to a thousand people.
As he followed the crowd inside, Yang Kai saw that the main hall was crammed with people, as though it was a big market. Although there were many people, they were not rowdy at all. The cultivators tactfully kept their mouths shut. Even if they had to talk, they would do so in small voices.
The first thing Yang Kai could see were long lines of people that looked like Dragons.
There were many desks around the corners of the main hall, and behind every desk sat a young man or woman with a blue hat. Their outfits were about the same as the one the young man who had appeared on the Recruitment Stage some time ago was wearing, so Yang Kai supposed they were medicine boys and girls of Profound Pill Sect.
A sign was hung in front of every desk that looked like a name. Yang Kai reckoned that those were the names of the Alchemists.
There was a line of people in front of every desk, even though there were some desks where fewer people queued up.
There was also a round counter facing the entrance of the main hall. Behind the counter stood 8 maidservants who were scattered around. Some people would come over to ask them some questions, and upon getting the directions, they would leave.
The maidservants behind the counter were busy as there was never a lack of people asking questions.
“Alchemist Yang!” Someone suddenly called out.
Yang Kai turned to look in that direction and felt helpless, “You really followed me all the way here.”
The person standing in front of him was Hua Rong. Yang Kai couldn’t believe that the woman had tailed him all the way here from Void Spirit Sword Sect. He wasn’t sure how she got to this place, but she appeared to be covered in travel dust.
“I knew you’d come to Profound Pill Sect. I was just wondering how I could look for you when I bumped into you here. Don’t you think we’re fated to meet again?” Hua Rong looked smilingly at him.
Yang Kai replied in a perfunctory manner, “En, right.”
“You think so too? I totally share the same sentiment. Since fate has brought us together, why don’t you take me on as your bodyguard? I can fend off your enemies for you!” As she spoke, she looked longingly at the man.
“There’s no need for that.” Yang Kai waved his hand, “I’ll get a Blood Warrior from Profound Pill Sect soon. I don’t need to hire a bodyguard.”
“Well, don’t reject me so soon. Although a Blood Warrior is good, he might not be to your liking. I’m different.”
“How are you different?” Yang Kai found the woman funny.
After giving it a thought, Hua Rong replied willfully, “Anyway, I’m different… By the way, what are you doing here?”
“I have nothing to do right now, so I’m here to look around.”
“Let’s go together then!” Hua Rong chuckled and followed Yang Kai closely. Realising that it was the first time Yang Kai came to this place, she took the initiative to explain, “The people who seek pills have to go through those ladies.” She pointed at the 8 maidservants behind the counter.
“There are many Alchemists in Profound Pill Sect who are in the Earth Grade, Heaven Grade, and even Spirit Grade, but there are different experts in different fields. The pills that the Alchemists are good at making vary quite a bit; therefore, the people who have come to seek pills have to find out which Alchemist will have the best chance of successfully refining what they want by judging from the amount of pills they’ve produced before. Those maidservants will give them some information regarding that.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I can see that.”
After observing for a bit just now, Yang Kai quickly realised what the maidservants were there for. Just like what Hua Rong had said, every Alchemist was an expert in a different field of study. Those who sought pills naturally wanted to look for the Alchemists who were most adept at making the pills they wanted.
“This place is divided into three areas, which are Earth, Heaven, and Spirit. They correspond to Earth Grade Alchemists, Heaven Grade Alchemists, and Spirit Grade Alchemists. The people behind the desks are their medicine boys or girls, and the signs in front of the desks are the names of the Alchemists. Hence, those who seek pills can easily find the Alchemists they want. By the way, when will you be setting up a place here? You don’t necessarily have to hire me to be your bodyguard. I can even be your medicine girl!” This idea suddenly sprang into Hua Rong’s mind, “There’s not a single medicine girl in the Sixth-Step Heaven Realm in the entire Profound Pill Sect. What do you think?”
“Are you familiar with Alchemy?” Yang Kai asked.
“No,” Hua Rong directly denied.
“How can you be a medicine girl when you’re not familiar with Alchemy?”
“I’ll learn as long as you’re willing to teach me,” Hua Rong said, matter-of-factly.
Yang Kai helplessly shook his head. However, at this point, he realised that jobs in Seeking Pill Pavilion were clearly divided, which was convenient for the people who sought pills. Regardless of who they were, they could easily find their targets. Of course, it took time to make pills, and it depended on their luck whether they could get the pills they wanted as an Alchemist wouldn’t necessarily succeed every time he or she refined pills. There was always a chance of failure.
Yang Kai walked around inside Seeking Pill Pavilion for a while before leaving. Hua Rong followed him as though she was close to him.
Initially, Yang Kai intended to go down the mountain and take a stroll around Profound Pill City, but he was no longer in the mood to do so. That was because Hua Rong was so garrulous that he was unable to take it anymore, so he decided to return to his resting place.
Hua Rong watched longingly as the man shuffled towards the Reception Peak of Profound Pill Sect. She stopped in the middle of the mountain as she wouldn’t dare to keep going further. Waving her hand, she shouted, “Look for me when you change your mind, Alchemist Yang! I’ll be waiting for you!”
Yang Kai pretended to not hear her.
Upon returning to his room in the Reception Palace, he told the maidservant to inform him immediately when there was any news. He then went on to stay in his room for the next few days.
It wasn’t until three days later when darkness was about to descend upon the world that Gao Xin Peng came over in a hurry. After some small talk with Yang Kai, he took a seat and said, “You have to get prepared tonight, Junior Brother. Those from the Elder Council will give you a test tomorrow.”
“En,” Yang Kai replied. Although he already knew that there would be a test, he still became apprehensive when the time finally came. What if his lie was exposed then?
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai reckoned that it didn’t matter even if his lie was exposed. He could just fight his way out of this place as he was fairly strong now. Even if he was faced with Spirit Realm Masters, he would still stand a chance to flee; however, those from Void Spirit Sword Sect would be dragged into this mess if that happened.
The only reason Gao Xin Peng was here was to inform Yang Kai about the upcoming test, so after chatting with him for a bit longer, he left. Before that, he told Yang Kai to be at ease as someone would lead him to the venue the next day.
The night passed in silence. Yang Kai got up early the next day and washed up before waiting patiently.
When the sun was up above the sky, a voice was suddenly heard speaking from outside, “Is Yang Kai here?”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai stepped out and saw a middle-aged man standing quietly outside his room. The man’s bright eyes looked like those of an eagle.
[Spirit Realm Master!] Yang Kai was surprised. Although the man never revealed his aura, Yang Kai could still sense that the man before him was in the Spirit Realm. Nevertheless, he couldn’t be certain about his exact Step.
“I’m Yang Kai. You are…” Yang Kai asked politely.
The man nodded gently, “I’m the Blood Warrior of the Sect Master. I was told to come over to fetch you. Come with me.” He never mentioned his name.
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai replied politely, then thought to himself that those from Profound Pill Sect indeed took the matter seriously. Even a Blood Warrior of the Sect Master was sent here to personally escort him.
Without speaking further, the man suddenly dashed towards Yang Kai. The next instant, he activated his Spirit Qi and engulfed Yang Kai in it before shooting into the distance.
It was the first time Yang Kai flew in the Divine Armament World, even though he was technically being carried by someone. Nevertheless, he was no stranger to flying, so he wasn’t flustered at all. On the other hand, the man glanced at Yang Kai with surprise as he wondered why the latter was so calm.
Soon, they saw a Spirit Peak where there were a lot of palaces. The man landed in front of a particular palace alongside Yang Kai and extended his hand, “Just go in.”
“Yes,” Yang Kai cupped his fist and took a glance at the palace. After adjusting his clothes, he strode inside.
Since the door was open already, Yang Kai directly stepped into the palace. He initially thought that he would instantly see the higher-ups of Profound Pill Sect and go through their test; however, he was surprised that there wasn’t anyone or anything in the hall.
Before he could figure out what was going on, the door was shut with a loud bang.
A shocked Yang Kai instantly put up his guard and scanned his surroundings.
Although he couldn’t see anyone, he could sense that there were some curious gazes in the darkness. All of a sudden, lights lit up and illuminated the hall.
Yang Kai soon saw that there was an Alchemy Furnace in the middle of the room, and a rack to the side that was filled with different kinds of herbs.
A voice abruptly sounded and reverberated around the hall, “We’ve prepared an Alchemy Furnace for you, and you can draw on the Earth Flame in this place. There are different kinds of herbs on the rack. Choose what you need and refine a furnace of Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai became slightly at ease. It seemed that just like what Gao Xin Peng had explained, the pill recipe Yang Kai possessed was the best proof of his identity. As expected, he was asked to refine a batch of Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills.
Settling his nerves, Yang Kai replied respectfully, “Yes.”
Then, he turned around and walked over to the rack to look for the herbs he needed. There were many herbs that were not needed to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill here, which was obviously part of the test.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai had already memorised the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill recipe, so he could easily find the herbs he needed.
Gathering everything he needed, Yang Kai walked towards the Alchemy Furnace.
In a side hall just off from the room Yang Kai was in, five old men with grey hair and beards stood. They were Elders of Profound Pill Sect. One of them was the Sect Master, Baili Yun Sang, who was one of the most outstanding Spirit Grade Alchemists in the Divine Armament World. The other Elders were also Spirit Grade Alchemists.
Although both rooms were separated by a wall, they could easily see what Yang Kai was doing through a special one-way glass. On the other hand, Yang Kai was unable to see through the wall and look at the side hall.
Gao Xin Peng was standing respectfully behind the Elders and the Sect Master. Although he was a Heaven Spirit Grade Alchemist, he still felt pressured in such an environment as he brushed away the cold sweat from his forehead from time to time.
“Good, there’s nothing wrong with his selection of herbs. Those are the exact ones used in the pill recipe from our Sect.” Great Elder Wu Feng Hua nodded gently, “Let’s see if there’s any problem with his techniques and other details.”
Baili Yun Sang stroked his grey beard and said with a smile, “We’ll see.”
The Second Elder turned to look at Gao Xin Peng, “Little Gao, are you sure that this brat was an Earth Realm Master when he refined the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in your competition?”
Upon hearing that, Gao Xin Peng hurriedly replied, “Yes, Second Elder. I saw it with my own eyes, so it’s definitely true. Junior Brother Yang was a peak Earth Realm Master when he made that Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.”
Third Elder remarked, “I believe Little Gao. In that case, this boy is quite the talent.”
Wu Feng Hua asked, “Have you looked into his background?”
Gao Xin Peng replied, “Yes. Junior Brother Yang is an orphan who grew up in Void Spirit Sword Sect. He’s only 18 years old this year.”
“18 years old…” Baili Yun Sang took a deep breath, “An 18-year-old Heaven Grade Alchemist who is in the Heaven Realm. Such aptitude is really rare.”
Wu Feng Hua shook his head, “In fact, there has never been a person with such an aptitude in the past 10,000 years. He’s probably the first in at least that long. Although it’s rare, there have been a small number of 18-year-old Heaven Realm Masters in the past. The crux of the matter is that he’s also a Heaven-Grade Alchemist. I was already in my fifties when I became a Heaven Grade Alchemist.”
Baili Yun Sang suddenly stated, “Stop talking for now. That boy is about to start.”
Everyone looked in that direction and realised that Yang Kai had drawn on the Earth Flame as he was preparing to begin.
Under their observation, Yang Kai skillfully dropped the herbs one by one into the Alchemy Furnace and accurately controlled the Earth Flame below. His mastery of the temperature and timing was quite good and matched up with the pill recipe from Profound Pill Sect.
These experienced Alchemists couldn’t have done better even if they were to refine a furnace of Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills themselves.
However, some small mistakes were made here and there during the process, likely due a lack of experience or familiarity with this recipe, but that didn’t really matter.
The entire process lasted for half a day. The Elders of Profound Pill Sect talked among themselves while observing the process and eventually confirmed that the pill recipe Yang Kai possessed was from Profound Pill Sect.
“The way this boy condenses pills is a little peculiar.” Wu Feng Hua fell into his thoughts, “I’ve never seen such a technique before.”
Second Elder added with a smile, “You know that guy very well. He likes to study all sorts of strange things. Perhaps he invented this Pill Condensing Technique after he left the Sect.”
Wu Feng Hua nodded, “That’s the only explanation.”
Just then, Yang Kai’s voice was heard coming from the hall, “Three pills have been successfully refined. One Mid-Rank and two Low-Rank. Please have a look, Seniors.”
Baili Yun Sang arched his brow, then turned to look at Gao Xin Peng, “How many Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill did you say he had made previously? What were the Ranks?”
Gao Xin Peng replied, “When I competed against Junior Brother Yang, he only made one pill that was in the Low-Rank.”
Baili Yun Sang tutted, “His skills have improved so much in just two months. His aptitude is truly extraordinary.”
Second Elder followed up, “That old guy has a terrible temperament, but he does have sharp vision as he’s found such a talented Disciple.”
Wu Feng Hua spoke up, “We can basically confirm that he has inherited his skills from Profound Pill Sect.”
In the hall, no one replied to Yang Kai after he finished speaking. However, he could still sense that some people were watching him, so he could only wait patiently.
A moment later, the voice from earlier sounded again. This time, he asked many questions about the person who wasn’t really Yang Kai’s Master. Yang Kai told him what he knew and tried to beat around the bush when he had no answers to the questions. He just told him that he was a young kid at that time, so there were many things that he had forgotten. The other party didn’t really probe him further.
Then, Yang Kai was asked to make another kind of pill, and he directly told them that he couldn’t. He said that his Master only passed him the pill recipe of Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill and taught him nothing else. The other pill recipes he possessed were obtained from other places over the years.
He wasn’t sure if he could fool the Elders of Profound Pill Sect using this explanation, but no one replied to him after that.
He went on to wait for an hour inside the hall before the door opened again.
Turning his head, he saw Gao Xin Peng standing outside the place with a smile. In a passionate manner, Gao Xin Peng called out, “Junior Brother Yang!”
“Senior Brother Gao!” Yang Kai walked up to him, and upon making sure that no one was else was watching, he asked in a small voice, “The test…”
“Congratulations, Junior Brother. You’ve passed the test,” Gao Xin Peng didn’t intend to keep him in suspense.
It was only then that Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
Fixed Moon Peak was a Spirit Peak where the Heaven Grade Alchemists of Profound Pill Sect gathered together. With that said, there were only three to five Heaven-Grade Alchemists of Profound Pill Sect who lived there.
Gao Xin Peng was one of the residents on this Spirit Peak. The palace on the left side of the peak was his territory. Although there were many Spirit Peaks in Profound Pill Sect, they couldn’t afford to assign a Spirit Peak to every Heaven Grade Alchemist. Only a Spirit Grade Alchemist had the right to own a Spirit Peak of their own.
There were about ten to twenty Spirit Peaks in Profound Pill Sect that were just like Fixed Moon Peak. In other words, there were about several dozen to a hundred Heaven Grade Alchemists.
That was a staggering figure.
Besides Gao Xin Peng, there were two other Heaven Grade Alchemists who lived on Fixed Moon Peak. They had previously selected their favourite spots. One of them built a cave mansion while the other built a palace just like what Gao Xin Peng had done.
There was also a ready-made cave mansion in that place. After asking Yang Kai about it, Gao Xin Peng decided to bring him here.
“This cave mansion originally belonged to a Senior Brother; however, he passed away more than ten years ago due to old age, so this cave mansion had remained unoccupied since then. Although it’s in the middle of the mountain, the World Energy and environment here are excellent. It’s also just half a mountain away from my place, so it’ll be convenient for you to look for me,” Gao Xin Peng led Yang Kai to walk around inside the cave mansion while giving him an explanation.
Since Yang Kai had passed the test, he was now considered the 34th generation disciple of Profound Pill Sect. Naturally, he had a right to own a cave mansion in the Sect.
Gao Xin Peng was the one who brought Yang Kai to Profound Pill Sect and he was also the only person Yang Kai was familiar with, so the Elders had asked him to help Yang Kai settle in.
He gladly accepted the job since Yang Kai’s aptitude was exceptional. He was more than willing to get closer to him.
The cave mansion still looked the same as the time when the original owner passed away, so it was obvious that the place was cleaned up frequently. Although the place had remained vacant for a long time, it was still neat and tidy.
Yang Kai was fine with this place, so after walking around alongside Gao Xin Peng and familiarising himself with his new residence, he cupped his fist, “Many thanks for your help, Senior Brother.”
Gao Xin Peng patted the other man’s shoulder with a smile, “We’re one family now, so stop being overly polite with me. It’s late now, so you should get some rest. I’ll bring you to get an Identity Token and make a registration tomorrow. Also, since you’re new to the Sect, there are many trivial matters you have to deal with… En, I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow.”
“Good.” Yang Kai nodded.
After Gao Xin Peng left, Yang Kai took a stroll around the cave mansion again and found a place to take a rest; then, he closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing.
The reason he was able to pass the test from the Elders of Profound Pill Sect was because of the pill recipe he possessed. Just like what Gao Xin Peng had said, the pill recipe was the best proof of his identity, for there were no great forces in the world that would expose their own pill recipes, especially the pill recipe of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, which was extremely precious. Yang Kai’s refining process also proved that he had inherited skills from Profound Pill Sect.
Another reason was probably the aptitude he had showcased.
Even if the Elders of Profound Pill Sect were doubtful, Yang Kai’s aptitude was good enough to impress them. Those from Profound Pill Sect would want to make such a person stay even if he had nothing to do with their Sect.
Since Yang Kai had passed the test, there was nothing else he had to worry about.
Gao Xin Peng came over pretty early the next day and led Yang Kai to register himself. Yang Kai then obtained an Identity Token and some miscellaneous items.
It was already afternoon when everything was done.
They returned to Fixed Moon Peak together where Gao Xin Peng had already prepared a meal to welcome Yang Kai and congratulate him on becoming a disciple of Profound Pill Sect.
They had a jovial chat during the meal. A while later, Gao Xin Peng spoke up, “Junior Brother, since you’re new to the Sect and unfamiliar with everything, the Elders will give you one month to familiarize yourself. After one month, you have to start providing Alchemy services in Seeking Pill Pavilion just like other Heaven Grade Alchemists.”
Yang Kai turned solemn, “What do I need to prepare?”
Gao Xin Peng chuckled, “A lot. I was just about to talk to you about it.” After taking a sip of the wine, he put down the cup and continued, “Since you’re going to provide Alchemy services, you’ll need a medicine boy to be stationed at Seeking Pill Pavilion. You don’t have a medicine boy yet, right?”
Yang Kai shook his head.
“To Alchemists like us, medicine boys are very important. They’re our assistants who will help us deal with trivial matters as well as the disciples we personally train. Moreover, since the job has something to do with Alchemy, medicine boys must be familiar with both Spirit Herbs and pills. Not everyone can take on this job.” Gao Xin Peng wiped away the grease from his mouth, “Of course, it’s actually quite easy to settle this problem. There are new disciples joining the Sect every year, so you can go over to the Disciple Hall and select some medicine boys that meet your requirements. I’m sure those brats will be more than happy to follow a Heaven Grade Alchemist.”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai asked, “Other than the disciples in the Sect, can I look for helpers from outside?”
Gao Xin Peng nodded, “There’s no problem with that and you’re free to do so; however, if you find medicine boys from outside, they’ll have to join Profound Pill Sect and become Outer Disciples. Do you have any candidates?”
Yang Kai nodded, “When I was in Void Spirit Sword Sect, I taught Alchemy to two Junior Brothers and one Junior Sister. They’ve shown talent in the Alchemic Dao.”
“Good. Just tell them to come over. However, that place is far away from here. You’d better get someone to fetch them so that they won’t fall into danger on the road. I suppose your Juniors are not very strong yet, right?”
“They’re not,” As Yang Kai spoke, he took a glance at Gao Ming, who was behind Gao Xin Peng.
Gao Xin Peng burst into laughter, “Well, please do not have your eyes on him. It’ll take one month to go back and forth; moreover, I’m leaving the Sect in a few days, so Gao Ming will have to come with me.”
A surprised Yang Kai replied, “I’ll come up with another way, then.”
At that instant, he regretted not bringing Wan Ying Ying with him when he came to this place. At that time, he was worried that he might fall into danger in Profound Pill Sect, dragging her into his mess if he brought her along.
However, it was no big deal as he could just ask someone to fetch her. A name sprang into Yang Kai’s mind as he thought he could use a particular woman’s help; after all, other than Gao Ming, she was familiar with the route.
After nibbling at his food, Gao Xin Peng went on to say, “Besides the matter regarding medicine boys, you’ll also have to settle the issue of an Alchemy Furnace and Alchemy Flame. I believe you still don’t have a personal Alchemy Furnace and Alchemy Flame, right?”
An embarrassed Yang Kai replied, “I do have an Alchemy Furnace, but it’s an old, generic one.” The Alchemy Furnaces in Void Spirit Sword Sect were all low quality. Even when he was still just an Earth-Grade Alchemist, Yang Kai found it difficult to use his current Alchemy Furnace. Now that he was a Heaven-Grade Alchemist, the furnace was basically useless to him; therefore, he didn’t even bother to bring it with him when he set off on his journey.
Gao Xin Peng put on a smile and suddenly clapped his hands.
Instantly, a maidservant came in with an Alchemy Furnace in her hands. It was a petite furnace only about a forearm length in height, but the surface was emblazoned with five Dragons, their mouths facing the lid.
“What’s this?” Yang Kai looked doubtfully at him.
Gao Xin Peng explained, “The Five Dragons Furnace. A Senior Brother gave it to me when I became a Heaven Grade Alchemist in the past, but I’ve never used it as I had my own. Since you don’t have a suitable Alchemy Furnace yet, why don’t you use it for now? Please don’t turn me down. This is a gift from someone after all. Although I’ve never used it, I wouldn’t have the nerve to give it away. I’m just lending it to you. When you have your own furnace, you can return it to me.”
Yang Kai parted his lips for a moment, then picked up his cup and drained it, “Many thanks for lending it to me then, Senior Brother.”
Gao Xin Peng waved his hand with a smile and told Gao Ming to send the Five Dragons Furnace to Yang Kai’s cave mansion before he went on to say, “Since you’ve settled the issue of an Alchemy Furnace, you can head to the Divine Flame Hall to get an Alchemy Flame. There are many Alchemy Flames available, but as for what kind of Alchemy Flame you’ll get, that will depend on your luck.”
An astonished Yang Kai asked, “The Sect will also provide us an Alchemy Flame?”
Gao Xin Peng put on a proud smile, “Profound Pill Sect has been in existence for a long time, so we do have a lot of Alchemy Flames. Those from the Divine Flame Hall are responsible for handling these affairs. After centuries of accumulation, even if there aren’t 1,000 Alchemy Flames over there, there are at least 800. There’s a rule, though. If you get an Alchemy Flame from the Divine Flame Hall, you’ll have to return it before your death; after all, it belongs to the Sect.”
Yang Kai nodded his head to indicate he understood. Still, he was shocked by the generosity of those in Profound Pill Sect. As long as an Alchemist reached a certain Grade, they could easily get a medicine boy, Alchemy Flame, and Blood Warriors.
Yang Kai believed that he could also get an Alchemy Furnace; however, since Gao Xin Peng had already lent one to him, it should be better than the one offered by the Sect.
“Get some rest tonight. I’ll bring you to the Divine Flame Hall tomorrow to get an Alchemy Flame. It’s the most important issue for you now because you’ll need some time to get used to the flame after obtaining one. It’ll probably take you a month to do so. You’ll also have to head to the Blood Warrior Hall. Since you’re now a Heaven-Grade Alchemist, you can get two Blood Warriors from the Blood Warrior Hall. I’m sure those from the Blood Warrior Hall will be quite excited.”
Two hours later, an intoxicated Yang Kai returned to his cave mansion.
When he left his residence the next day, he saw a blue-hat youth waiting for him outside the place.
“Greetings, Alchemist Yang!” The blue-hat youth saluted him.
“Are you… Senior Brother Gao’s medicine boy?” Yang Kai took a glance at him. He had come across this medicine boy in Gao Xin Peng’s place the day before, so he could faintly remember him.
“Yes, Alchemist Yang. I’m Senior Gao’s medicine boy.”
Yang Kai looked curiously at him, “What are you doing here? Where’s Senior Brother Gao?”
The medicine boy replied, “Senior Gao told me to wait here to pass on his word to you. Senior Gao had to leave the Sect this morning after receiving an order from the Elders; therefore, he can’t accompany Senior Yang to the Divine Flame Hall. However, he has informed those from the Divine Flame Hall about it. If Senior Yang wishes to obtain an Alchemy Flame, you can directly go over.”
“Senior Brother Gao has left?” Yang Kai was surprised.
Although Gao Xin Peng did say he was leaving the Sect in a few days, Yang Kai hadn’t expected him to be gone on this day.
“It was an emergency. Since the Elders had given the order, Sir had to leave,” the medicine boy replied respectfully.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded. After giving it a thought, he asked the medicine boy about the location of the Divine Flame Hall then walked down the mountain.
The medicine boy thoughtfully asked Yang Kai whether he needed a guide; however, getting an Alchemy Flame shouldn’t be a difficult task. Moreover, Gao Xin Peng had informed those from the Divine Flame Hall about it beforehand; therefore, Yang Kai turned him down.
The Divine Flame Hall was located in a mountain valley where there were many guards. As Yang Kai headed to his destination, he was stopped and checked several times. Nevertheless, after he showed them his Identity Token, the guards at the Divine Flame Hall stepped aside respectfully.
Soon, he arrived at a large palace and as soon as he entered he saw two people chatting among themselves. One of them was clad in the clothes exclusive to Heaven Grade Alchemists of Profound Pill Sect, and he was followed by two bodyguards.
The other person was clad in black tight-fitting clothes. Yang Kai was unable to sense his cultivation since his aura was restrained, but he had a feeling that the man was a Spirit Realm Master.
The Spirit Realm Master in black clothes said, “Since you’re all ready, Alchemist Wei, good luck.”
Alchemist Wei cupped his fist with a smile, “Many thanks for your kind wishes, Vice Hall Master. I’ll definitely succeed; after all, I’ve been preparing for it for two years.”
“You may go now. Someone from the Divine Flame Cave will lead you there,” The Spirit Realm Master nodded.
Alchemist Wei nodded, then led his Blood Warriors towards the door. Before he left, he shot a curious and doubtful glance at Yang Kai. Despite finding the man unfamiliar, he didn’t say anything.
After he was gone, the Spirit Realm Master turned to look at Yang Kai and examined him, then asked, “Alchemist Yang, I presume?”
“You know me?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
The Spirit Realm Master replied with a smile, “There are only a small number of Heaven Grade Alchemists in the Sect, and I’ve met them all. The only one I’ve never met is the newly joined Heaven Grade Alchemist. Alchemist Gao informed me about your arrival yesterday.”
Upon hearing his explanation, Yang Kai asked, “I see. How may I address you?”
“Divine Flame Hall Vice Hall Master, Wu Zheng Qi.”
“So it is Vice Hall Master Wu!” Yang Kai cupped his fist and thought that it was no wonder this person was a Spirit Realm Master. Since he was the Vice Hall Master of the Divine Flame Hall, the fact that he was a Spirit Realm Master wasn’t so surprising.
“Have you come here to obtain an Alchemy Flame?” Wu Zheng Qi asked.
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded, “Senior Brother Gao said that since I’ve joined the Sect, I should prioritise getting an Alchemy Flame.”
Although Wu Zheng Qi wasn’t an Alchemist, he knew a thing or two about Alchemy since he had been in Profound Pill Sect for a long time. Upon hearing that, he nodded, “Since Alchemist Gao has said so, there wouldn’t be a mistake.”
“However, it is my first time coming to the Divine Flame Hall. Is there anything I should prepare?” Yang Kai inquired modestly.
Wu Zheng Qi replied with a smile, “You don’t have to prepare anything. The Divine Flame Cave is a special place where the Alchemy Flames accumulated over the years are stored. You just have to go in and sense your surroundings. As long as you are capable enough, you’ll find a suitable Alchemy Flame. What’s more, the Alchemy Flames will also be looking for worthy Masters to follow.”
Yang Kai was puzzled, “You mean, those Alchemy Flames are sentient?”
Wu Zheng Qi burst into laughter, “Alchemy Flames are not living creatures, so why would they be sentient? However… the Divine Flame Cave is a special place. It was built by the ancestors of Profound Pill Sect taking much time and care. It is also one of the Sect’s foundations. I’m not an Alchemist, so I don’t understand the abstrusity of it; nevertheless, the same thing happens to every Alchemist who tries to obtain an Alchemy Flame, so you don’t have to worry about it. Moreover, I heard that the greater a person’s aptitude, the better the Alchemy Flame they can obtain.”
“Are the Alchemy Flames graded?” Yang Kai figured out there was a deeper meaning to the Vice Hall Master’s words.
“Of course,” Wu Zheng Qi looked curiously at him, wondering why a Heaven Grade Alchemist wasn’t aware of such common knowledge, “Just like we cultivators, Alchemy Flames are divided into Mortal, Earth, Heaven, and Spirit Grades. Although there are different grades, an Alchemy Flame can swallow others to improve itself; therefore, even if one only gets a Mortal Rank Alchemy Flame, it will grow into a Spirit Rank Alchemy Flame as long as there’s enough hard work and opportunity. Moreover, the powers of the Alchemy Flames in the same rank can vary greatly. Good, if you want to find out more about it, you can head to the Records Hall when you’re free. There are many books about Alchemy Flames inside.”
“Many thanks for your guidance, Vice Hall Master Wu.” Yang Kai thanked him sincerely, for he had no knowledge of such information prior to this, “By the way, do you mean that there are Spirit Rank Alchemy Flames in the Divine Flame Cave?”
“Indeed.” Wu Zheng Qi nodded, “The Alchemy Flames that the Elders possessed over the generations were all Spirit Flames. Before their predestined time of death, they would try to separate the Spirit Flames from their own bodies and return them to the Divine Flame Cave. This process normally damages the Spirit Flames, causing them to regress into Heaven Flames. Nonetheless, some of the Spirit Flames still survived over the years. However, I advise you against coveting a Spirit Flame; after all, they are very powerful. If you don’t have sufficient power to match, you’ll be harming yourself instead.”
“I understand. However, is it alright that so many Alchemy Flames are put together? You just said that an Alchemy Flame could swallow others to upgrade itself…”
Wu Zheng Qi shook his head, “The Alchemy Flames that have returned to the Divine Flame Cave are all planted with seals, so they won’t swallow each other. Otherwise, the cave would’ve been gone for good long ago.”
“I see.” Yang Kai finally figured it out after his explanation, but he still asked worriedly, “Is there really nothing I have to prepare? Just now, I heard Alchemist Wei say that he had been preparing for it for two years.”
“He…” Wu Zheng Qi burst into laughter, “He’s different. He wants to obtain a particular Alchemy Flame from the Divine Flame Cave, so he has been trying to prepare some bait over the past two years to tempt that Alchemy Flame. If you have your own target, you naturally have to prepare some things in advance. However, if you’re just getting a random one, you don’t have to do that.”
It was then Yang Kai realised he had been overthinking things. Following that, he replied, “I’ll just obtain one at random then.”
“Do you have other questions? If not, you can head to the Divine Flame Cave now.”
Yang Kai shook his head.
“Come with me, then,” Wu Zheng Qi said, then led the way for him.
It wasn’t certain whether it had something to do with Gao Xin Peng or that the fact Yang Kai wasn’t familiar with this place was taken into consideration, but when Alchemist Wei headed to Divine Flame Cave just now, Wu Zheng Qi didn’t lead the way for him. Instead, Yang Kai had the honour to receive such treatment.
Naturally, Yang Kai had to thank him again.
The Divine Flame Cave wasn’t far away, and there was an entrance that led to it inside the hall. When they arrived, Yang Kai saw that the Blood Warriors that Alchemist Wei had brought with him were standing outside the cave while the Alchemist himself was nowhere to be seen. It was apparent that he had entered the cave.
Wu Zheng Qi pointed ahead and explained, “That’s the entrance to the Divine Flame Cave. There’s a rule in the Sect that only Alchemists can enter this place, so I’ll have to stop here. You can just go in.”
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and shuffled into the cave.
The Divine Flame Cave was located deep beneath the ground, and as Yang Kai walked down, it took him almost an hour before descended into complete darkness.
It wasn’t the kind of darkness that was caused by a lack of light, but rather a kind of pure black colour that was indescribable with words.
Yang Kai initially intended to look for Alchemist Wei and observe how the latter was going to obtain an Alchemy Flame; however, he could see nothing in the darkness, let alone look for Alchemist Wei.
Turning his head, Yang Kai saw that there was a bit of light at the entrance that served as a beacon for when he needed to leave. However, the light was restricted in a radius of three metres in an eerie manner.
It seemed that the Divine Flame Cave was truly abstruse, so it was no wonder that it was one of Profound Pill Sect’s foundations.
Shaking his head, Yang Kai continued moving forward. In the darkness, he was unable to determine how far he had gone, so he could only turn to look at the light at the entrance to know that he had moved forward for quite some distance.
Reckoning that it was time to stop, he sat down on the ground with his legs crossed.
Wu Zheng Qi had said that the Divine Flame Cave was a special place, and upon entering, an Alchemist just had to sense their surroundings to look for the Alchemy Flames that suited them.
Yang Kai didn’t understand the abstrusity of it, so he could only do as he was told.
After emptying his mind, he focused on sensing his surroundings. He initially couldn’t detect anything special, but as he released his Divine Sense, he realised that dots of light started appearing out of thin air.
He was taken aback by the sight and almost awoke from his meditative state, which caused the lights to start flickering.
However, he soon composed himself, and the lights stabilised as well.
This was a strange feeling. Although his eyes were closed as he was only sensing his surroundings, it was as though he could really see those lights. The intensity of the lights varied, looking like different-sized candles that had been lit up in the darkness.
Besides that, the lights continued to increase, and soon, they started growing exponentially. From a few dots of light, they grew into dozens to over a hundred.
In the distance, more lights appeared all of a sudden.
[Are these the Alchemy Flames in the Divine Flame Cave?] Yang Kai fell into his thoughts as he inspected the lights, trying to determine their Grades by judging the intensity of the light.
Just like what Wu Zheng Qi had said, the Alchemy Flames here ranged from the Mortal Grade to the Spirit Grade.
The small number of the brightest lights should be the Spirit Flames, while the slightly weaker ones were Heaven Flames, followed by the Earth Flames and then the weakest Mortal Flames.
What surprised Yang Kai was that these Alchemy Flames came in different colours, which illuminated the originally dark cave.
While he was still awestruck by the sight, something happened all of a sudden.
The lights of different colours started rushing towards Yang Kai, as though they had been drawn by something. In the blink of an eye, he was surrounded by countless Alchemy Flames.
“Uh…” Yang Kai was stunned, not knowing what was going on.
Yang Kai could sense that these brightly lit Alchemy Flames had surrounded him as they jumped around him. Despite not knowing what was going on, he had a feeling that if he wanted, he could easily obtain any of the Alchemy Flames, be it a Mortal Flame or a Spirit Flame.
This discovery made him arch his brow.
He recalled that Wu Zheng Qi had said the greater a person’s aptitude, the better the Alchemy Flame they could get in the Divine Flame Cave. It then dawned on Yang Kai that even though he was just a Heaven-Grade Alchemist in the Divine Armament World, his attainments in the Alchemic Dao far exceeded the limits of this World. Regardless of whether these Alchemy Flames were sentient, they seemed to have instinctively realized his uniqueness, which was why they proactively approached him.
Almost all the Alchemy Flames in the Divine Flame Cave had gathered around Yang Kai except for one particular flame.
There was a flickering Alchemy Flame in a spot that was several hundred metres away from Yang Kai. He reckoned that it was a Heaven Flame by judging from its brightness, and it could be considered a better one among those in the Heaven Grade.
The Heaven Flames around Yang Kai were not comparable to it in terms of brightness or purity.
Yang Kai thought about Alchemist Wei, who had entered the place first, and had a feeling that the latter was just over there as the special Heaven Flame was restricted by him. That was the reason it was not drawn over.
Yang Kai wasn’t really concerned about what was going on over there. Since Alchemist Wei had prepared for it for two years, he must have a special technique to get the Heaven Flame he wanted. Moreover, Yang Kai wasn’t interested in Heaven Flames at all.
What attracted him were the small number of Spirit Flames.
Wu Zheng Qi had advised him against getting a Spirit Flame since he didn’t have the power to match, as that would cause him to be injured. However, that piece of advice was only applicable to the average person. Yang Kai had the confidence to subdue a Spirit Flame.
He could still use a Spirit Flame when he became a Spirit Grade Alchemist in the future, and he didn’t have to waste time upgrading or changing his Alchemy Flame. Since he had come to the Divine Flame Cave, Yang Kai naturally had to get the best one.
After making up his mind, he examined the lively Alchemy Flames around him and soon found his target.
It was an Alchemy Flame that was one of the brightest in this place. If he wasn’t mistaken, this was supposed to be a Spirit Flame. Moreover, this Alchemy Flame gave off a gentle feeling, which was unlike some of the restless flames, so it was suitable to be used for refining pills.
This orange Spirit Flame was originally in the outer ring, but after Yang Kai sent a signal over, it slowly came closer and soon reached a spot that was one metre away from him.
While the Spirit Flame was moving forward, the other Alchemy Flames proactively stepped aside as though they had realised how determined Yang Kai was.
The Spirit Flame continued moving forward, but just when it was about to reach Yang Kai, it abruptly stopped.
Yang Kai had no idea what was going on, but the next instant, all the Alchemy Flames around him seemed to become flustered, as though a ferocious beast was coming their way. In the blink of an eye, they dissipated and went into hiding. The countless lights that Yang Kai could sense instantly vanished.
The originally colourful world soon fell into complete darkness.
Yang Kai was shocked, not knowing what he had done that caused those Alchemy Flames to run away.
Looking around, he could see that the Alchemy Flame restricted by Alchemist Wei was pulsating; however, Alchemist Wei seemed to have a way to control it. Yang Kai couldn’t see clearly what the other party was doing, but the Alchemy Flame was unable to flee regardless of how hard it tried. It seemed to be bound to that exact spot. It seemed that it was just a matter of time before the flame was captured by Alchemist Wei.
Yang Kai came to his senses and thought back on what he had been doing since he came to this place, but he didn’t think he had done anything wrong. Nevertheless, the Alchemy Flames that had surrounded him disappeared just like that.
Just then, he caught a glimpse of a light that was slowly flying towards him from a distance. It was a white flame that wasn’t particularly bright. According to his observation, he reckoned that it was an Alchemy Flame in the Mortal Grade.
However, the light was astonishingly pure. Yang Kai hadn’t seen any other Alchemy Flame with such purity.
The Mortal Flame soon reached Yang Kai and landed in front of him, then became unmoving.
Yang Kai was startled for a moment as he was torn between tears and laughter.
[What’s going on?] All the Alchemy Flames were gone, leaving behind a Mortal Flame. He was now a Heaven-Grade Alchemist, so there was no way he would take a Mortal Flame, which wouldn’t meet his requirements for making pills.
After observing the Mortal Flame for a moment, Yang Kai concluded that besides the fact that the light was pure, there was nothing special about it. Therefore, he stopped paying attention to it.
Then, he emptied his mind and sensed his surroundings in an attempt to draw the Alchemy Flames back to him.
However, his action elicited a strange reaction from the small white Mortal Flame. Like a naughty kid, it jumped around in Yang Kai’s perception to draw his attention.
Seeing that Yang Kai ignored it, the flame started circling around him.
A moment later, it suddenly charged towards the Heaven Flame bound by Alchemist Wei. This turn of events finally attracted Yang Kai’s attention.
He could sense that the Heaven Flame bound by Alchemist Wei became even more flustered while the Alchemist exclaimed.
Alchemist Wei did not have long to ponder the issue, however, as the Mortal Flame dashed forward and instantly engulfed the Heaven Flame with its white light. After the dust settled, the light that belonged to the Heaven Flame was nowhere to be seen.
The white Alchemy Flame didn’t change one bit as it swaggered back towards Yang Kai. Upon reaching him, the flame gently whirled around as though it was trying to brag.
Yang Kai was flabbergasted.
Although it was the first time he came across this situation, it was obvious to him that the Heaven Flame was swallowed by this white Mortal Flame.
Wu Zheng Qi said that all the Alchemy Flames in the Divine Flame Cave were planted with seals, so there was no way they would devour each other. What was going on with this white light then?
Moreover, only Alchemy Flames of higher Grades could gobble up ones of lower Grades. How did a Mortal Flame wolf down a Heaven Flame?
“Who destroyed my flame!? Who?!” Alchemist Wei’s roar reverberated across the entire cave.
Getting no reply, Wei Cheng said through clenched teeth, “Good. Unless you stay in this cave forever, this Wei will find out who you are sooner or later! This matter is not settled!”
After Wei Cheng barked for a while more, Yang Kai could hear the footsteps fading into the distance.
There was a dark expression on Yang Kai’s face as he looked at the white light in front of him. He had practically done nothing, but it seemed that a grudge had been formed between Wei Cheng and him.
Yang Kai could only hope that he wasn’t the only person in the cave at this moment; otherwise, he would never be able to explain himself.
After witnessing how the white light swallowed the Heaven Flame, Yang Kai realised that this white flame was different somehow. The average Mortal Flame was not able to do that.
Furthermore, regardless of how hard he tried to sense his surroundings, the other Alchemy Flames in the cave didn’t respond to him. As he recalled the sight of those Alchemy Flames fleeing, Yang Kai let out a long sigh.
Now, it seemed that regardless of what he thought, he had to take this white flame.
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened during the process. As soon as Yang Kai relayed his intent, the white flame flew towards him and directly disappeared into his body.
At the same time, Yang Kai could clearly feel that there was a new strange power in his body. The power wasn’t harmful to him, but he needed some time to refine and familiarise himself with it before he could really use it.
He had achieved his goal for coming to the Divine Flame Cave. Although he had only taken a Mortal Flame, Yang Kai reckoned that it wasn’t just any ordinary Mortal Flame judging from its strange behaviour.
It seemed that he had to head to Records Hall to find out what kind of Alchemy Flame he had accepted.
Standing up, he shuffled towards the light at the entrance and soon left the Divine Flame Cave. Then, he walked up the spiralling path.
One hour later, Yang Kai could finally see bright sunlight again, which suggested that he had finally left the cave. Before he could adjust to the brightness though, he heard someone speaking through gritted teeth, “It’s really you!”
Yang Kai turned his head and saw Wei Cheng glaring at him. The Blood Warriors behind him sported dark expressions as well. On the other hand, Wu Zheng Qi was standing with his hands behind his back as he looked curiously at Yang Kai.
A dejected Yang Kai knew that the trouble was inevitable, but he still pretended to know nothing, “Vice Hall Master Wu, this…”
Wu Zheng Qi explained, “Alchemist Wei came across an accident when he was trying to obtain an Alchemy Flame in the cave. It seems that he was unable to achieve his goal because he was disturbed; therefore, Alchemist Yang, he wants to know what you did down there.”
“Of course I was trying to get an Alchemy Flame in the cave. What else could I do?” Yang Kai frowned, “I didn’t act against anyone or anything. Why don’t you ask the other Alchemists who have entered the cave?”
Wei Cheng said through clenched teeth, “There were only the two of us in the cave. There were no other Alchemists! If you hadn’t done anything, this Wei couldn’t possibly have failed. I was about to succeed!”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Alchemist Wei. I was just trying to obtain an Alchemy Flame for myself. However, I was shocked to hear someone exclaiming just now. It seems that it was you who screamed.”
A relentless Wei Cheng snapped, “Stop playing dumb! Who else could it be if it weren’t you?”
Yang Kai gazed at him and replied, “It’s the first time we meet, Alchemist Wei, and there are no grudges between us. Both of us are the Heaven Grade Alchemists of Profound Pill Sect, so why would I act against you?”
Wu Zheng Qi nodded, “That’s true. What actually happened, Alchemist Wei?”
Wei Cheng still glowered at Yang Kai, but he realised that the latter was right. It was the first time they met, and there were no grudges between them. There was no reason for Yang Kai to derail his plans; however, as he recalled the two years he had spent getting prepared and the fact that he was so close to succeeding, he was unable to just let the issue drop.
It was then Wei Cheng sported a dark expression and narrated what had happened in the Divine Flame Cave. According to him, everything was going well initially, but at the most critical moment when he was about to capture the Heaven Flame, it seemed to have been disturbed. After pulsating for a moment, it disappeared.
“Besides that, did you happen to see anything else?” Yang Kai asked probingly.
Wei Cheng was startled for a moment, “What do you mean? Did you see anything else?”
“No, I was just asking,” Yang Kai replied in a perfunctory manner.
Based on what Wei Cheng had said, he didn’t see the sight of the white flame engulfing the Heaven Flame inside the cave. In his perception, the Heaven Flame disappeared abruptly and he didn’t even see the Alchemy Flames of different colours gathering together. If he had, he would’ve exposed it.
[That’s strange…] Yang Kai thought.
“I’m sorry that your attempt to capture a Heaven Flame has failed, but I really know nothing about it, nor is there a reason for me to interfere in your plans,” Yang Kai stared at him in a frank manner.
“Even if you didn’t mean to, this matter must have something to do with you,” Wei Cheng said through clenched teeth. It was obvious that he was infuriated; after all, he had been preparing for this moment for two years, and his attempt failed at the last moment. It was expected that he couldn’t get over it.
An impatient Yang Kai gazed at him, “What do you want, then? To fight me?” Although Wei Cheng’s failure did have something to do with him, he didn’t mean to do it. Moreover, he couldn’t really admit anything, so Yang Kai could only deny it.
Surprisingly, Wei Cheng’s eyes brightened when he heard that, “Good, you’re the one who said it. This Wei will fight with you.” He then gazed at Wu Zheng Qi, “Please be the witness for us, Vice Hall Master Wu.”
Wu Zheng Qi appeared hesitant, as though he was trying to say something, but he eventually let out a sigh, “Since both of you want to settle the matter in such a way, this Wu will act as witness. However, I hope that both of you won’t go overboard as you’re from the same Sect.”
Wei Cheng cupped his fist, “Many thanks, Vice Hall Master Wu.”
He then glared at Yang Kai, “I’ll see you at the Martial Methods Stage in three days!”
Upon finishing his words, he waved his hand and left with his Blood Warriors.
Yang Kai had just placed his hand on the hilt of True Void Sword when his aura dissipated instantly. Shocked, he gazed at Wei Cheng’s leaving figure and asked in puzzlement, “Why is he leaving?”
Wu Zheng Qi explained, “Since an agreement has been reached, he naturally has to go back and get prepared.”
A helpless Yang Kai asked, “What’s there to prepare when we’re just going to have a fight?”
An astounded Wu Zheng Qi stared at him, “Are you going to fight with Alchemist Wei just like this?”
“What else should I do?”
Wu Zheng Qi gaped at him for a moment before landing a slap on his own forehead, “I’ve forgotten that you’re new to the Sect, so you’re not familiar with our rules yet. The thing is, Alchemists are important treasures of Profound Pill Sect, so the fights between Alchemists are different from those of other cultivators.”
Yang Kai frowned, “Please enlighten me, Vice Hall Master Wu.”
Wu Zheng Qi explained, “Usually, a fight between Alchemists is divided into three rounds. The one who wins two rounds will be the winner. Nevertheless, the first two rounds have nothing to do with the Alchemists as only their bodyguards would go on stage. They’ll fight in the first two rounds, and it will be best if there’s a winner. If there is a draw, the Alchemists will then go on stage; however, the competition between Alchemists will be all about Alchemy, not a battle. That way, the safety of the Alchemists can be ensured. Even if one of them loses, he wouldn’t be injured.”
Upon hearing his explanation, Yang Kai replied, “I see.”
It was no wonder that Wei Cheng said they would meet again at the Martial Methods Stage after three days. Yang Kai initially thought that they would just fight right away, and he had even considered using a bit of his true strength.
“You don’t have any Blood Warriors yet, right?” Wu Zheng Qi gazed at him in an awkward manner.
In response, Yang Kai shook his head.
Wu Zheng Qi burst into laughter, “It seems that you’ll have to head to the Blood Warrior Hall, but… En, I’ll stop here. You’ll find out about it when you reach the Blood Warrior Hall later.”
Yang Kai felt helpless as he returned from the Divine Flame Hall.
His trip to the cave ended up in him getting a Mortal Flame and offending Wei Cheng. It also never crossed his mind that he would agree to fighting with him. Life was truly unpredictable.
However, that didn’t bother Yang Kai one bit as he was most concerned about the kind of Mortal Flame he had obtained. Why was it able to engulf a Heaven Flame?
While he was in his thoughts, he walked down the mountain and soon arrived at Seeking Pill Pavilion. After looking around for a while, he still couldn’t find the person he wanted to see.
He thought that woman’s stubbornness was her only good point. She had said she would be waiting for him, but she had disappeared barely a few days later.
However, on his way back to the peak, he suddenly heard Hua Rong calling out to him in a passionate manner, “Alchemist Yang!”
Yang Kai turned his head and saw the woman at the Recruitment Stage. As she yelled, she dashed forward and soon reached Yang Kai. With a fervent gaze, she asked, “Are you here to look for me?”
After taking a few steps back, Yang Kai nodded, “Yes.”
An elated Hua Rong asked, “Have you changed your mind and decided to take me on as your bodyguard?”
The woman’s jovial expression surprised Yang Kai as he wondered why she was so ecstatic. After measuring his words, he replied, “I can take you on as a bodyguard, but I must give you a test first.”
“Tell me. As long as it’s achievable, I’ll do it for you!” Hua Rong nodded repeatedly.
Yang Kai examined her as he doubted her ability to carry out the task; however, there wasn’t a better person to do this job at this point. He initially wanted to borrow Gao Ming from Gao Xin Peng, but the latter wasn’t even in Profound Pill Sect now, so how was he supposed to borrow his bodyguard?
“I want you to head to Void Spirit Sword Sect and escort three people to this place.”
Hua Rong was all ears as she listened to him, then she asked, “That’s it?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Can you do it?”
Hua Rong replied with a smile, “Don’t underestimate me, Alchemist Yang. I can even escort everyone from Void Spirit Sword Sect to this place, not to mention three people.”
“Good, I’ll leave it to you, then. When you return… I’ll take you on as a bodyguard,” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth. He had to settle the issue of getting his medicine boy as soon as possible since those from Profound Pill Sect had only given him one month. After that, he would have to start providing Alchemy services at Seeking Pill Pavilion. If he didn’t have a medicine boy to help him out by then, he would be swamped with work. That was why he rushed over to look for Hua Rong first instead of heading to the Blood Warrior Hall.
“After I come back with those people, how am I going to look for you?” Hua Rong darted her gaze around, “I can’t enter Profound Pill Sect without an Identity Token.”
That was indeed a problem. Just when Yang Kai was ready to say he would ask someone to wait at this place every day, Hua Rong suggested by saying, “Why don’t you bring me to make a registration and get the Identity Token for a bodyguard first? That way, I can directly enter Profound Pill Sect when I come back.”
Seeing that Yang Kai appeared hesitant, she said, “Please trust me, Alchemist Yang. I’ll definitely complete your task. If anything goes wrong, you can kill me.”
Since she had said so much, Yang Kai gave it a thought and agreed to it.
It didn’t take him a long time to bring Hua Rong to make a registration; however, a bodyguard hired from outside like Hua Rong would have to go through the examination and verification of Profound Pill Sect to have her background checked. This was to ensure that she wouldn’t pose a threat to the Alchemist she followed or to the Sect as a whole. She would only be acknowledged as a bodyguard after everything was done.
Yang Kai didn’t have to be concerned about it anyway as Profound Pill Sect had an intelligence department to deal with such matters.
When he saw Hua Rong off, she already had a temporary Identity Token with her. With this token, she was able to visit most places in Profound Pill Sect except for the most important areas.
After she was gone, Yang Kai headed to the Blood Warrior Hall to select two Blood Warriors.
Since they were trained in Profound Pill Sect, their loyalty was guaranteed. Yang Kai also didn’t have to pay anything to get them.
He initially thought that there were countless powerful cultivators in the Blood Warrior Hall and he could easily get two Eighth-Step or Ninth-Step Heaven Realm Masters, but after arriving at this place, he realised that he was too naive.
There were indeed some Heaven Realm Masters in the Blood Warrior Hall, but the strongest ones were only in the Third-Step or the Fourth-Step Heaven Realm. They were even weaker than Hua Rong, which was why he was disappointed.
It was then he realised why Wu Zheng Qi appeared hesitant at the mention of the Blood Warrior Hall.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that it wasn’t so surprising. Profound Pill Sect was a powerful great force, and it wasn’t difficult for them to nurture Heaven Realm Masters; however, it took time for Heaven Realm Masters to grow, and the ones in higher Steps had all been selected by the other Heaven Grade Alchemists. The Blood Warriors that were left were naturally the weaker ones.
How was Yang Kai supposed to fight with Wei Cheng with these Blood Warriors? Although he had no idea about the cultivation of Wei Cheng’s Blood Warriors, they were clearly not in the Third or Fourth-Step Heaven Realm.
Yang Kai initially intended to select two Blood Warriors, but he had now lost interest.
Nevertheless, the Blood Warriors looked fervently at him, as though they were willing to do anything for him upon receiving his order. It would be inappropriate if he didn’t even choose one.
In the end, he only brought back one Blood Warrior.
One hour later, Yang Kai was seated on a chair in his cave mansion. There was a man who knelt on one knee in front of him. His bald head appeared pretty shiny even in the cave mansion.
This guy was the only one Yang Kai had brought back from the Blood Warrior Hall as he looked a bit special. He was truly burly, and about two full heads taller than Yang Kai when he was standing. His facial features looked fierce and he was quite conspicuous even among the Masters in the Blood Warrior Hall.
However, this person wasn’t the strongest as he was only in the Second-Step Heaven Realm. According to the person in charge of the Blood Warrior Hall, his aptitude was low as well and he had remained in the Hall for a long time. The other Blood Warriors from the same batch were now in the Sixth-Step or Seventh-Step, and they had already been selected by other Heaven Grade Alchemists. He was the only one left in the Hall from the same batch.
If Yang Kai hadn’t picked him out this time, this person would be kicked out of the Blood Warrior Hall in six months and become a guard somewhere else.
This was how most Blood Warriors ended up; after all, only a small number of Blood Warriors would be selected by the Alchemists. Those in the Blood Warrior Hall who had no more potential for growth but hadn’t been picked out wouldn’t be allowed to stay there to drain the Sect’s resources. Profound Pill Sect had many places that needed the protection of Heaven Realm Masters after all.
“What’s your name?” Yang Kai examined the burly man who knelt on one knee in front of him.
The burly man replied in a remarkably gentle voice, “The Blood Warriors in the Blood Warrior Hall do not have names; we’re represented by codes. Please give me a name, Sir.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “You don’t have a name?” He then gave it a thought, “Then why don’t you take my surname? Since you’re so well built, I’ll call you Yang Da Zhuang.”
“Thanks, Sir!” Yang Da Zhuang cupped his fist loudly.
“I’m just pulling your leg.” Yang Kai waved his hand, “Yang Huai. Your name will be Yang Huai.”
“Yes,” Yang Huai replied respectfully. He was fine with whatever name was given to him by Yang Kai, offering no complaints at all.
“Do you know why I chose you out of so many people in the Blood Warrior Hall?” Yang Kai gazed at him and asked.
Yang Huai shook his head, “I have no idea. You must have your own considerations, Sir.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “That’s right, but the main reason is that you look ferocious enough!”
Yang Huai put on a smile that could easily make crying children silent.
“I don’t know what Secret Art all of you cultivate in the Blood Warrior Hall, but it’s obviously not appropriate to bring out your potential. Your body is sturdy, and your vitality is ample, so you should cultivate a Body Tempering Secret Art. The Second-Step Heaven Realm is definitely not your limit. I have a Secret Art named the Supreme Tyrant Body Art that I can teach you. You must cultivate it seriously.”
Yang Huai wasn’t really a bright person, so a simple Secret Art like the Supreme Tyrant Body Art suited him; however, it was originally an Emperor Grade Secret Art, so Yang Kai had to modify and limit it a great deal before teaching it to him. The entire process took about four hours.
The real reason Yang Kai picked out Yang Huai was that he was trying to carry out an experiment. Although he could cultivate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law in the Divine Armament World, he wasn’t sure if he could use other Secret Arts he had in this world. It was the first time he entered a Small Source World, and if he had more chances to enter other Small Source Worlds in the future, he wanted to gather more information now.
If his experiment was successful, he would have a new helper with him. Even if the experiment failed, it wouldn’t really matter.
“When you cultivate the Supreme Tyrant Body Art, you’ll also need some pills to assist you. I’ll pass you the required ones in the future. Just cultivate it on your own for now. I have a fight with someone in three days, and I’ll need you to go on stage at that time.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Huai cupped his fist, “I will obey any order you give me, Sir.”
After telling Yang Huai to choose a room in the cave mansion and settle down, Yang Kai walked out alone and asked someone for directions, then headed to the Records Hall.
The reason he went to the Records Hall was to find out what kind of a Mortal Flame he had obtained from the Divine Flame Cave.
There were many ancient books in the Records Hall, which was divided into the outer hall and inner hall. The outer hall was open to all the Alchemists in Profound Pill Sect, and all the books were free for them to browse through.
However, if they wanted to enter the inner hall, they would have to pay some Sect’s contribution points.
Yang Kai had an idea about what contribution points were, but he had no idea how to obtain them. After asking around about the Sect’s contribution points, he realised he was basically right and that they were truly good things.
In Profound Pill Sect, as long as one had enough contribution points, one could trade them for anything they wanted, including the pill recipe for the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
This discovery greatly energised Yang Kai. He initially was still concerned about how to obtain the pill recipe for the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill after he entered the Sect, but it turned out that he would just need to earn enough contribution points.
There were many ways one could earn contribution points. One of the ways was to provide Alchemy services in Seeking Pill Pavilion. Although it wasn’t a lot, the amount would grow into a staggering figure as time passed.
One could also earn points by carrying out various tasks assigned by the Sect.
Since Yang Kai was a newcomer, he naturally didn’t have any contribution points; however, now that he had found out about them, he didn’t have to worry about getting the pill recipe of Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in the future.
After going through many books in the outer hall of the Records Hall for half a day, Yang Kai still couldn’t find any useful information about the white flame he had obtained. One book on Alchemy Flames recorded many Mortal Flames that shared many similarities with the white flame, but it didn’t explain why the white flame could easily devour a Heaven Flame.
In that case, he could only go back to his residence.
In the next two days, Yang Kai stayed in his room and focused on refining the white flame he had obtained from the Divine Flame Cave. The white flame gave off a gentle feeling, as though it wasn’t powerful at all. Furthermore, it was easy to refine the flame, so it took him just two days to basically complete the refinement.
On the third day, someone was heard calling out to him from outside of the cave mansion. Yang Kai walked out and realised that it was a Heaven Realm Master he had never met before.
The Heaven Realm Master cupped his fist and asked, “Are you Alchemist Yang?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes. Who are you?”
The Heaven Realm Master replied, “I’m from the Divine Flame Hall. The Vice Hall Master has told me to come over and invite you to head over to Martial Methods Stage.”
“It’s time for the fight already?” Yang Kai frowned. He had been refining the white flame for the past two days, so he had lost track of the time. If Wu Zheng Qi hadn’t sent someone over, he would’ve missed the fight against Wei Cheng.
Yang Kai felt helpless, but since it had been agreed upon already, he didn’t intend to back down.
As such, he yelled back into the cave mansion. Soon, a ferocious Yang Huai stepped out. Unlike a few days ago, Yang Huai now appeared even more savage. When he walked out of the cave mansion, he looked just like an ancient Ominous Beast, which caused the Heaven Realm Master’s pupils to contract.
“Sir!” Yang Huai cupped his fist and greeted in a respectful voice.
Yang Kai studied him and nodded, “You’ve made some good progress.”
A few days ago, Yang Huai didn’t have his current ferocious aura. The fact that he had gone through such a drastic transformation was undoubtedly thanks to the Supreme Tyrant Body Art. This abridged version of Body Tempering Secret Art taught to him by Yang Kai seemed to match Yang Huai perfectly, so Yang Kai expected the latter to have some serious achievements in it in the future.
“Many thanks for your guidance, Sir,” Yang Huai appeared excited as well. He had stayed in the Blood Warrior Hall for quite a few years. Since his ascension to the Heaven Realm, the progress in his cultivation had been quite slow. He initially thought that it was all he could achieve in his lifetime. Nevertheless, it never crossed his mind that not only would he be brought out of the Blood Warrior Hall, but he would also obtain such a profound Secret Art.
While cultivating the Supreme Tyrant Body Art, he could clearly feel that there was an inexhaustible source of energy that he could draw on, which was a feeling he had never had in the past.
“How do you feel?” Yang Kai asked.
Yang Huai grinned, “I feel great. I have the urge to fight someone.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “You’ll have a chance soon.” He then turned to look at the Heaven Realm Master, whose face twitched, “Please lead the way for us.”
The Heaven Realm Master hurriedly extended his hand, “Please come with me, Alchemist Yang.”
The Martial Methods Stage was located on a Spirit Peak where there was a very flat platform, as though it had been carved with an enormous blade. Presently, the stage was surrounded by many people.
If there were any grudges between the Alchemists of Profound Pill Sect, they would come over to this place and settle it; however, such incidents were rare. Therefore, after word of the dispute between Wei Cheng and Yang Kai spread, many Alchemists who had nothing better to do came over to watch the good show. When Yang Kai and Yang Huai arrived at Martial Methods Stage alongside the Heaven Realm Master, this place was already crammed with people.
Around the stage stood many Alchemists who had brought their bodyguards with them. Some of them gathered together and chatted among themselves, discussing the cause of the fight.
Wei Cheng was seated on a chair on one side of the stage, and his bodyguards were standing behind him, a hint of impatience on his face.
A helpless Wu Zheng Qi from the Divine Flame Hall was waiting on the stage. Honestly speaking, he wasn’t willing to interfere in this matter. Although he was a Spirit Realm Master, Profound Pill Sect was an Alchemy-focused force. It wasn’t appropriate for him to butt into the dispute between two Alchemists. However, since he had been invited to be the witness, he had no choice but to come over.
When Yang Kai arrived, he immediately drew the attention of many Alchemists. Although it had been only a few days since Yang Kai joined the Sect, the news that there was a new Heaven Grade Alchemist spread quickly. Many people were expected to be curious about this new Heaven Grade Alchemist. Furthermore, despite being a newcomer, Yang Kai had already formed some grudges with Wei Cheng, and they had to settle the dispute on Martial Methods Stage.
When they finally saw Yang Kai, many of them exclaimed and gasped.
That was because Yang Kai looked truly young. He appeared to be about 17 or 18 years old at most, but he was already a Heaven-Grade Alchemist.
He was the only Heaven-Grade Alchemist in the entire Profound Pill Sect who was this young. When these people were his age, most of them were still in the Mortal Grade. Their achievements paled when compared to this young man.
If nothing unexpected happened, this young man would become an important figure in the future.
On one side of the stage, Wei Cheng sported a conflicted expression. He was truly incensed outside of the Divine Flame Hall the other day, which was why he took Yang Kai’s words seriously even though the latter didn’t really mean it.
However, since they had agreed to the fight, he naturally had to look into Yang Kai’s background.
Upon finding out more about the young man, Wei Cheng was dumbfounded.
That was because Yang Kai was a Heaven Grade Alchemist who was only 18 years old, and he probably would be a Spirit Grade Alchemist in the future. Anyone would want to form a good relationship with such a person instead of offending him.
However, things had come to such a point that there was no turning back. The fight must go on; after all, Wei Cheng was a Heaven Grade Alchemist, so he could not embarrass himself.
Furthermore, it was uncertain whether Yang Kai could really become a Spirit Grade Alchemist. Wei Cheng also had the potential to be a Spirit Grade Alchemist in the future; therefore, even though he slightly regretted it, he was madder at the fact that his plan, which was two years in the making, had been ruined.
If it weren’t because of the accident a few days ago, he could’ve obtained an excellent Heaven Flame, which would help him improve his Alchemy skills and increase his chance of ascending to the Spirit Grade.
After leading Yang Kai to the stage, the Heaven Realm Master cupped his fist to Wu Zheng Qi, “Alchemist Yang is here, Vice Hall Master.”
Wu Zheng Qi nodded, “Good, you may leave now.”
“Vice Hall Master Wu!” Yang Kai cupped his fist at Wu Zheng Qi, who nodded gently in response.
Wei Cheng came over and stood on the left side of Wu Zheng Qi. He was followed by his Blood Warriors.
Wu Zheng Qi arched his brow, “Many thanks for inviting this Wu to be the witness of this battle. I feel truly honoured. However, I hope that both of you will not go overboard since you are both from the same Sect. Peace and harmony are valued highly here.”
Then, he darted his gaze between Wei Cheng and Yang Kai before saying, “If there are no objections, the fight shall begin. The rules are the same as always. The fight is divided into three rounds, and the person who wins two rounds will be the winner. Additionally, no weapons are allowed on the Martial Methods Stage. Do you have any problems with this?”
Wei Cheng and Yang Kai expressed that they were fine with the rules.
“Good. As for how you’ll fight, you can have a discussion among yourselves. This Wu will not interfere. The reason I’m here today is only to act as a witness.” Then, Wu Zheng Qi went away and observed them silently.
On the stage, Wei Cheng took a glance at the towering Yang Huai behind Yang Kai, then frowned, “Have you only brought one bodyguard with you, Alchemist Yang? How are we going to fight?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “What’s wrong with that? The rules state that the person who wins two rounds will be the winner. It doesn’t say how many bodyguards we must bring.”
Wei Cheng shook his head, “That’s right, but I guess you’re underestimating this Wei. The bodyguard you’ve brought out of the Blood Warrior Hall is only in the Second-Step Heaven Realm. The weaker one of my two bodyguards is in the Sixth-Step Heaven Realm. There’s no way your bodyguard is a match for them.”
“We’ll have to let them fight to find out whether he’s a match.”
Wei Cheng stared fixedly at him, “If you’re willing to apologise to me, Alchemist Yang, I’ll pretend that nothing has happened so that you’ll be spared the embarrassment.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s good to have confidence, Alchemist Wei, but overconfidence will do you more harm than good.”
Wei Cheng’s face fell as he snorted, “I’m willing to settle the dispute peacefully, but since you’ve rejected me, don’t blame me for oppressing you as a Senior Brother. I’d like to know how you’re going to defeat the three of us when there are only the two of you. The rules are the same. If there’s no winner after the first two rounds, we’ll personally have to compete in the last round.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded, “However, before that, shouldn’t we put down a wager? Otherwise, the fight will be boring.”
“Wager?” Wei Cheng was startled, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai turned to look at Wu Zheng Qi, “Will it break the rules of the Sect, Vice Hall Master?”
Wu Zheng Qi replied impassively, “It’s fine as long as both of you agree. The most important thing is that there must not be any casualties.”
“Understood.” Yang Kai nodded, then took the sword from his waist and raised it, “It’s a Spirit Armament. Is this wager good enough?”
Wei Cheng’s pupils contracted when he heard that, and even Wu Zheng Qi appeared interested. The Alchemists around the Martial Methods Stage immediately broke into a commotion.
“A Spirit Armament? Is that really a Spirit Armament?” Wei Cheng gazed at him in shock.
Yang Kai tossed the True Void Sword at Wu Zheng Qi, “Vice Hall Master Wu can definitely tell whether it’s a Spirit Armament or not.”
Wu Zheng Qi took the sword and unsheathed it. After he observed it for a moment, a longing expression appeared on his face. A moment later, he put the sword back into the sheath and nodded, “It’s indeed a Spirit Armament.”
Since Wu Zheng Qi had said so, Wei Cheng naturally wouldn’t doubt him. He looked doubtfully at Yang Kai as he wondered what the latter was up to.
A puzzled Wu Zheng Qi inquired, “Are you sure you want to put this Spirit Armament down as a wager, Alchemist Yang? That is an extremely precious treasure.”
In the entire Divine Armament World, Spirit Armaments were the second-best weapons after the Ten Great Divine Armaments. Every Spirit Armament was extremely powerful. The power a Spirit Realm Master could use with or without a Spirit Armament was drastically different. Although Wu Zheng Qi was a Spirit Realm Master, even he didn’t have a Spirit Armament. Therefore, when he saw Yang Kai, a Heaven Grade Alchemist, nonchalantly fish out a Spirit Armament and use it as a wager, he felt that the latter was being wasteful.
It would’ve been wonderful if the sword were in his possession.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I’m short on money now, and I don’t have anything more valuable than this.”
A myriad of expressions came over Wei Cheng, “It seems that you’re confident in yourself, Alchemist Yang.”
Since Yang Kai had even fished out a Spirit Armament to be used as a wager, he wasn’t just confident; he practically had no regard for Wei Cheng, who became vexed at this realisation.
“Although I’d like to get this Spirit Armament, this Wei unfortunately doesn’t have anything suitable to be used as a wager.” Wei Cheng shook his head regretfully. It was a shame that he had to let such a chance slip through his fingers.
“It’s fine. I don’t need any precious items. I suppose you have some Red Jades, Alchemist Wei?” Yang Kai asked with a smile.
“Red Jades?’’ Wei Cheng was startled, “You want me to put down Red Jades as a wager?”
He couldn’t believe his ears. Even Wu Zheng Qi appeared flabbergasted as he secretly cursed at Yang Kai for being a wastrel. The value of a Spirit Armament could never be measured with Red Jades.
“I said I’m short on money. It’s fine as long as you have some Red Jades.” Yang Kai nodded.
“I… do have some Red Jades.”
“How many can you take out?” Yang Kai asked.
An embarrassed Wei Cheng replied, “About 200,000 to 300,000. No more than that.” It was expected that a Heaven Grade Alchemist had several hundred thousand to a million Red Jades. Wei Cheng initially had more than a million Red Jades as well, but in order to get the Heaven Flame in the Divine Flame Hall, he had spent quite a lot of money to buy certain items, which was why he was left with so little money.
Of course, even 1 million Red Jades were nowhere near enough to buy a Spirit Armament, not to mention 300,000. He was fully aware of it, which was why he appeared bashful when he spoke.
“300,000 it is.” Yang Kai nodded, “Are you okay with putting down 300,000 Red Jades as a wager, Alchemist Wei?”
Wei Cheng stared at him like the latter was a fool, “Are you sure you’ll be fine with me only taking out 300,000 Red Jades as a wager?”
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded.
On the side, Wu Zheng Qi was on pins and needles. If he hadn’t been restrained by his identity as a witness, he would’ve said to Yang Kai that he could lend him some money. It was extremely wasteful to put down a Spirit Armament to be a wager when the other party could only offer 300,000 Red Jades.
Wei Cheng stared fixedly at Yang Kai, and upon making sure that the other party wasn’t joking, he nodded, “In that case, I’ll take out 300,000 Red Jades to be a wager. Please be the witness of it, Vice Hall Master Wu.”
“En,” Wu Zheng Qi replied lethargically.
“Let’s start now, Alchemist Yang,” Wei Cheng felt elated since he was going to get a Spirit Armament soon. He speculated that it might be Yang Kai’s way of apologising to him; otherwise, why would anyone do such a foolish thing?
A Spirit Armament could more than make up for his losses in the Divine Flame Hall.
At the thought of this, he felt less hostile towards Yang Kai. Despite Yang Kai’s firm stance, he was actually a tactful person. This was his indirect way of apologising to Wei Cheng.
Yang Kai nodded, “Good.” He then turned to look at Yang Huai, “Do your best.”
Yang Huai cupped his fist and replied solemnly, “I’ll not embarrass you, Sir.”
Yang Kai nodded and leaped off the Martial Methods Stage. On the other hand, Wei Cheng and one of his Blood Warriors also left the stage, leaving only a single Blood Warrior to deal with Yang Huai.
Wu Zheng Qi shot an impassive glance at the people on the stage and replied dispassionately, “If the two of you are ready, you can start at any moment.”
The next moment, Wei Cheng’s Blood Warrior charged towards Yang Huai at the speed of lightning, leaving behind only an afterimage. He reached his opponent in a split second, and following a loud boom, the entire stage shook.
The towering Yang Huai seemed to have been struck by a mountain as he staggered backwards and almost collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, he managed to stabilize himself soon, then he extended his big hand.
A figure disappeared in front of him as he whisked past his palm and circled around him. Soon, another loud boom was heard.
A confident Wei Cheng observed the battle on the stage and nonchalantly stated, “Alchemist Yang, your Blood Warrior is too weak. There’s no way he can defeat my bodyguard.”
Yang Kai put on a smile without responding to him.
Yang Huai was only in the Second-Step Heaven Realm while Wei Cheng’s bodyguard was in the Sixth Step. There was a difference of four Minor Realms between them. On the stage, without any external help, Yang Huai was expected to be of no match for his opponent.
In just over ten breaths of time, Yang Huai had been struck more than ten times. Every strike would cause him to stagger and almost collapse to the ground, but he could always stabilise himself soon and counterattack. Although he was unable to harm his opponent, his powerful attacks forced the other party to dodge.
Such a battle was supposed to end quickly since the powers of both parties were drastically different. Nevertheless, the reality was that Yang Huai surprised the others with his perseverance and resoluteness.
Although Wei Cheng’s Blood Warrior seemed to have gained the upper hand on the stage, he was unable to defeat Yang Huai or force him out of the stage.
Furthermore, as time passed, a layer of blood mist started forming around Yang Huai’s figure. It was initially inconspicuous, but as time passed it increasingly thickened.
“What’s that?” Wu Zheng Qi, who had been observing the battle on the stage, arched his brow with surprise. That was because he realised that Yang Huai’s speed and strength were increasing by the breath.
Yang Huai was sturdy, but he was not very agile, and he was four Minor Realms behind his opponent; therefore, since the beginning, he had been in a passive position, and his occasional counterattacks were easily dodged by the opponent. Nevertheless, as the battle dragged on, his attacks gradually became faster and more powerful.
Following a tearing sound, the two of them leaped away from one another. Yang Huai was covered in blood as he widened his eyes with fury. There was a piece of cloth that he had torn from his opponent. After he released it, he dashed towards his opponent like an enraged bull, his eyes bloodshot.
The spectators around the stage exclaimed. It was the first time Yang Huai managed to hit his opponent, even though he had only torn a piece of cloth from the other party.
On the other hand, the Sixth-Step Heaven Realm Master took a look at his own chest where a small part of his robe had been torn off, revealing his vest. When he looked up and saw Yang Huai charging towards him, he became incensed and activated his Spirit Qi to deal with him.
The intense battle thus continued.
The spectators were initially not interested in the first round as a battle between Blood Warriors could be quite boring. Both of them were trained in the Blood Warrior Hall, so they were most familiar with each other’s moves and techniques.
Furthermore, there was a huge gap in powers between the two Blood Warriors on the stage.
It was supposed to be a battle without suspense; however, the reality surprised everyone as the Second-Step Heaven Realm Master was still not defeated following a series of attacks from a Sixth-Step Heaven Realm Master. Even though he was weak and covered in blood, he was still unwavering and resistant.
Many of the spectators were moved.
The battle on the Martial Methods Stage remained intense. Wei Cheng’s Blood Warrior was agile as he wandered around Yang Huai and made a move from time to time. Like a cat teasing a rat, he was able to easily mess with Yang Huai.
There was a subtle change behind Wu Zheng Qi’s gaze as he observed the fight, and then there came a moment when Yang Huai extended his hand and bellowed, “Got you!”
Following a loud boom, Spirit Qi surged as an air blast spread around. The sight on the Martial Methods Stage shocked everyone. At that moment, Yang Huai had miraculously caught the other Blood Warrior’s calf while fending off the latter’s violent attack.
The next moment, Yang Huai put on a hideous grin and lifted his opponent before smashing him to the ground as though the latter was a chicken. If his move was successful, the other party would be severely injured despite being a Sixth-Step Heaven Realm Master.
Wei Cheng exclaimed.
Instantaneously, the Sixth-Step Heaven Realm Master curled up his body in a strange way. Like a snake, he draped himself around Yang Huai’s muscular arm. Right before his back came into contact with the ground, he pushed out his fists in rapid succession at Yang Huai.
*Hong…*
The entire the Martial Methods Stage shook violently as the intense battle abruptly stopped.
The spectators looked up and saw that Yang Huai had fallen on one knee with widened eyes. He remained in the posture of the last move he made. On the other hand, his opponent was lying on the ground, his face covered in blood, looking all battered.
Although he had tried his best to resolve the crisis at the most critical moment, he was still hurled onto the ground by Yang Huai. Presently, his back was all numb, which made him think that his spine might have broken.
[Is it over?] After a moment of silence, the people around the Martial Methods Stage started whispering among themselves. The fact that a Second-Step Heaven Realm Master had won the battle surprised them. Even Wei Cheng believed that to be the case as well. He appeared sluggish as he was unable to accept the outcome.
Just then, Wu Zheng Qi stepped forward and extended his hand towards Wei Cheng before announcing the result, “Alchemist Wei has won the first round.”
Wei Cheng was startled upon hearing that. After making sure that he wasn’t mistaken, he appeared puzzled. Although he was a Heaven Realm Master, an Alchemist’s cultivation was generally built up using a lot of elixirs; therefore, it was unlike the other cultivators who relied on tortuous hard work. Even though he had taken in every detail of the battle, he still couldn’t figure out what was going on, nor did he understand why he had won the fight.
However, since Wu Zheng Qi had said so, there shouldn’t be a mistake.
Wei Cheng then gazed at Yang Kai, who appeared calm and didn’t seem to have the intention of objecting to the decision. It was then he set his mind at ease.
Right then, some noises were heard coming from the stage as the Sixth-Step Heaven Realm Master got up with difficulty. Although he appeared battered, he could still move at the very least. On the other hand, Yang Huai remained unmoving in the same posture. The blood streaming from his mouth and nose dripped onto the ground and caused some light noises.
Seeing that, Wei Cheng finally realised that Yang Kai’s Blood Warrior had probably passed out. It was no wonder that he had won this round.
“Sir, I didn’t disappoint you!” The Sixth-Step Heaven Realm Master cupped his fist at Wei Cheng.
“You’ve done a great job. Get some rest now,” Wei Cheng nodded gently.
“Yes,” the Blood Warrior replied. When he leaped from the stage, he couldn’t help but turn to look at Yang Huai, still reeling from shock inside.
He had never come across a person as defiant as this Second-Step Heaven Realm Master before. In truth, he had won this battle only because of a stroke of luck. If the other party had been able to persevere just a moment longer, it was hard to tell who would have won in the end.
On the other hand, Yang Kai leaped onto the stage and checked on Yang Huai, who was actually fine. This guy was extremely sturdy, so although he appeared battered, he was only covered in flesh wounds. None of his five viscera and six organs were harmed. The reason he passed out was that he had consumed too much energy. Confirming Yang Huai’s status, Yang Kai circulated some of his own Spirit Qi into him to wake him up.
“Sir!” Yang Huai regained consciousness and realised that he was defeated. With an embarrassed expression, he cupped his fist, “I’m sorry for disappointing you.”
Yang Kai patted the other man’s shoulder, “It’s fine. You’re much weaker than him after all. You did well. Moreover, it’s only been a short time since you started cultivating…”
Yang Huai grunted in a muffled voice. It wasn’t until this battle that he realised how extraordinary the Supreme Tyrant Body Art taught to him by Yang Kai was.
He was fully aware of his power as a Second-Step Heaven Realm Master. In the past, he could never have gotten into a prolonged battle with a Sixth-Step Heaven Realm Master. He doubted that he could even last for twenty breaths of time before; however, after cultivating the Supreme Tyrant Body Art, he was almost able to defeat such an opponent, which was simply inconceivable. He had already gained so much after cultivating the Secret Art for a few days. If he cultivated it for a longer time, he would have a chance to defeat the other party.
“Who will go on stage for the second round, Alchemist Yang?” Wu Zheng Qi asked.
Yang Kai had only brought one Blood Warrior with him. The bodyguard was basically half-dead, so there was no way he could go on stage for the second round. Wu Zheng Qi had never come across such an incident before, so he had no idea what to do; therefore, he decided to ask Yang Kai.
Yang Huai got up with difficulty and cupped his fist, “Sir, I can go on stage again!”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Look at you. You’re even struggling to stand stably. If you go on stage again, you’ll be killed.”
“I’m willing to die for you!” Yang Huai appeared solemn.
“I didn’t bring you out of the Blood Warrior Hall just to watch you die. Go down. I’ll take part in the fight this time!” Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai gently pushed Yang Huai away. Engulfed in a soft force, Yang Huai was directly sent away from the stage.
Both Wu Zheng Qi and Wei Cheng were stunned.
With a frown, Wu Zheng Qi asked, “Alchemist Yang, the second round is still a physical fight. Are you sure you want to take part in it?”
Yang Kai nodded, “What’s wrong with that? Can Alchemists not fight for themselves?”
“There’s no such rule, but…” Wu Zheng Qi appeared to be in a dilemma, “No Alchemist has taken part in a physical battle on this stage before. What’s your cultivation now, Alchemist Yang?”
“Third-Step Heaven Realm,” Yang Kai replied honestly.
At that instant, Wu Zheng Qi wasn’t sure what to do. He then took a look at Yang Huai and reckoned that the latter really was unable to fight again. If the Blood Warrior were asked to go on stage, he would certainly lose. Since Yang Kai had no one else with him, it was understandable that he wanted to fight himself.
At the thought of this, Wu Zheng Qi nodded, “In that case, please be careful, Alchemist Yang.”
He then glanced at Wei Cheng, “Please tell someone to come forward, Alchemist Wei.”
Wei Cheng nodded and ordered the other Blood Warrior to go on stage. At the same time, he said in a small voice, “Don’t kill him. Just throw him off the stage. He’s a Heaven-Grade Alchemist after all. If anything happens to him, I won’t be able to save you.”
The Blood Warrior nodded, “Don’t worry, Sir. I know what to do.”
Then, he jumped onto the stage and cupped his fist at Yang Kai, “I’m ready, Alchemist Yang.”
Wu Zheng Qi dropped him a reminder, “Alchemist Yang, this bodyguard is in the Seventh-Step Heaven Realm. If you don’t think you’re a match for him, you’d better admit defeat now.”
“Many thanks, Vice Hall Master Wu.” Yang Kai put on a smile, “But… I don’t think I’ll be the one who will admit defeat.”
Right after he finished his words, he abruptly appeared in front of the bodyguard and lightly pushed out a palm surging with Spirit Qi.
The bodyguard was initially calm and collected, but when he saw Yang Kai’s palm, his expression changed drastically as he was engulfed in a sense of danger. He hurriedly pushed all his Spirit Qi and met the attack.
At the most critical moment, he recalled that the other party was a prestigious Heaven Grade Alchemist instead of a bodyguard, so he quickly restricted his force a little lest Yang Kai was harmed.
“Hong…”
Spirit Qi erupted as a figure was sent flying away like a sack. The person then crashed into the crowd and caused them to collapse to the ground.
Wu Zheng Qi, who had secretly circulated his Spirit Qi and readied himself to interfere, was dumbfounded by what he just witnessed.
On the other hand, Wei Cheng, who was ready to watch a good show, was rooted to the spot. The other cultivators and Alchemists couldn’t believe their eyes either.
At that instant, the entire place fell into silence.
It wasn’t until a moment later that these people came to their senses and turned to look at the source of the commotion. Over there, a person got to his feet as a myriad of expressions came over his face. His eyes were filled with disbelief. He was none other than Wei Cheng’s bodyguard, who was in the Seventh-Step Heaven Realm.
A Seventh-Step Heaven Realm Master was sent flying away from the Martial Methods Stage by a Third-Step Heaven Realm Master with only one move. If they hadn’t seen it with their bare eyes, no one would have believed it.
An incensed Wei Cheng glared at his bodyguard, “What on Earth are you doing?”
The Seventh-Step Heaven Realm Master was embarrassed as he cupped his fist, “Please forgive me, Sir. I just wasn’t careful enough.” There was a doubt in his mind. Even though he had restricted his power at the last moment lest Yang Kai be harmed, his attack still should have been enough to suppress a mere Third-Step Heaven Realm Master.
He initially had the confidence to push Yang Kai out of the stage in that clash, but he was the one who was sent flying away instead.
As he recalled the moment their moves met just now, he felt as though he was faced with a Peak Heaven Realm Master instead of a Third-Step Heaven Realm Master. However, it wasn’t like he could explain that to anyone, so he just dismissed it as his own hallucination.
Wei Cheng was infuriated. He initially thought that he could easily get a Spirit Armament to make up for his losses in the Divine Flame Cave, but it never crossed his mind that there would be a turn of events.
Since he was unable to change the outcome, it was pointless to say anything else. He glowered at the bodyguard and snapped, “Waste!”
The bodyguard hung his head low in silence, his face all red.
“Vice Hall Master Wu, I suppose I’ve won this round,” Yang Kai gazed at the dumbstruck Wu Zheng Qi.
Wu Zheng Qi came to his senses and nodded with an awkward expression, “Alchemist Yang has won the second round!”
“Both of you have respectively won one round of the physical fights, so the contest is currently a draw. You can have a discussion among yourselves regarding the last round.” Wu Zheng Qi looked around. Yang Kai and Wei Cheng had already come to an agreement, and it was an unspoken rule in Profound Pill Sect. They naturally wouldn’t object to it.
Since the last round was about Alchemy, Wu Zheng Qi, a cultivator, was unable to interfere.
Standing on the Martial Methods Stage, Yang Kai said, “Alchemist Wei, I’m a newcomer, so I’m not familiar with the Sect’s rules. You can decide on what to compete. I’m fine with anything.”
Wei Cheng snorted, “You’re truly confident, Alchemist Yang. What if I say we’ll compete against each other using Alchemy Flames? Will you accept the challenge?”
Upon hearing that, the Alchemists around the stage broke into a commotion and Wu Zheng Qi immediately raised his hand, “You can’t do that!”
A curious Yang Kai asked, “Why can’t we fight using Alchemy Flames?” It seemed to him that it was a serious issue to fight against one another with Alchemy Flames.
An astounded Wei Cheng asked, “Why don’t you even know this? Have you been living under a rock?”
On the side, Wu Zheng Qi explained, “Alchemist Yang, all Alchemists have their own Alchemy Flames, which are divided into different Grades. You’ve been to the Divine Flame Cave, so you must be aware that a powerful Alchemy Flame can swallow a weaker one to upgrade itself. That’s why some Alchemists fight against each other using their Alchemy Flames. However, this kind of fight is extremely dangerous. Usually, the Alchemy Flame of either party will end up getting swallowed. Once that happens, the Alchemist will suffer from a severe backlash. Therefore, unless it is an unresolvable blood feud, Alchemists never compete against each other using Alchemy Flames.”
After explaining it to Yang Kai, he turned to look at Wei Cheng, “Alchemist Wei, you and Alchemist Yang are important treasures of Profound Pill Sect. It isn’t like there’s a life-or-death feud between the two of you. It will be fine if it’s any other form of competition; however, if you really want to fight using Alchemy Flames, this Wu will have no choice but to report the incident to the Elder Council and ask them to interfere.”
Wei Cheng pressed his lips together, “This Wei was just making a point. Of course, I know how dangerous it is to fight using Alchemy Flames. Please don’t take it seriously, Vice Hall Master Wu.”
It was only then that Wu Zheng Qi nodded, “That’s good.”
Wei Cheng turned to look at Yang Kai, “We won’t fight using Alchemy Flames. However, it will be far too time-consuming if we compete against one another in a complete Alchemy session. Why don’t we refine some medicinal liquid? Let’s see who will be able to refine a purer, more concentrated medicinal liquid from the same herbs. It’s a simple contest and won’t take a long time.”
Yang Kai was naturally fine with it as he nodded, “En.”
It was apparent that Wei Cheng was well prepared. As he clapped his hands, the Heaven Realm Blood Warrior, who was previously sent flying away from the stage by Yang Kai, leapt up with two boxes in hand.
With his hands behind his back, Wei Cheng stated, “These are Starry Sky Flowers. They are similar in terms of their medicinal age and size. You can examine them and pick out one. Instead of using any Alchemy Furnaces, we’ll only use our own Alchemy Flames to refine the medicinal liquid and see who can do better.”
As he spoke, the Heaven Realm Blood Warrior reached Yang Kai with the boxes and let him examine them.
The Alchemists around the stage whispered among themselves.
“Alchemist Wei is trying to refine a Starry Sky Flower? It isn’t an easy task.”
“That’s right. Of all the Heaven Grade herbs, even though Starry Sky Flowers are not the most precious, they are definitely the most difficult to refine. I heard that even the best Heaven Grade Alchemists in Profound Pill Sect can only refine 70% of its medicinal efficacies.”
“Even the Spirit Grade Alchemists from the Elder Council can only reach 90%, let alone Heaven Grade Alchemists.”
“However, it’s a good test to find out an Alchemist’s foundation. This will be interesting.”
…
Noises could be heard coming from everywhere as Yang Kai gazed at the boxes. Just like what Wei Cheng had said, there was no difference in size or age between the two herbs. They could be said to be identical. They looked like flowers the size of a palm with eight petals each, on which silver lines were seen glowing, making them look like a sky full of stars.
Yang Kai had never seen these flowers before and had a feeling that they were native to the Divine Armament World.
Wei Cheng extended his hand, “Please, Alchemist Yang.”
Yang Kai nodded and randomly selected one. The bodyguard then walked towards Wei Cheng with the other flower. Wei Cheng took the flower and said with a smile, “By the way, Alchemist Yang, I have some unique insight when it comes to refining Starry Sky Flowers, so you’ll definitely lose.”
He wouldn’t have come up with such a form of competition if he were not confident in himself. That was the reason he had prepared two starry Sky Flowers from the start.
Yang Kai didn’t respond to him.
Right then, Wu Zheng Qi was heard saying, “If the two of you are ready, you can start at any moment.”
“Please, Alchemist Yang!” Wei Cheng shouted while activating his Spirit Qi. At the same time, an orange flame appeared above his palm. The brightness of the flame suggested that it was a very high-quality Heaven Flame, though Yang Kai wasn’t sure exactly what kind of flame it was. The Heaven Flame surrounded the Starry Sky Flower as its intensity shifted from time to time. Under Wei Cheng’s control, the flame started extracting the medicinal liquid out of the Starry Sky Flower.
Seeing that, Yang Kai hurriedly activated his Spirit Qi and Alchemy Flame. A white flame appeared out of thin air and flickered in the next moment. Although it appeared very pure, it wasn’t comparable to the Heaven Flame of Wei Cheng when it came to colour or Grade.
“A Mortal Flame?” Someone exclaimed all of a sudden.
Many of them were dumbfounded as they gazed at the flame above Yang Kai’s palm. Although they had no idea what kind of Alchemy Flame it was, they reckoned that it was a Mortal Flame just judging from its appearance.
It was inconceivable that the Alchemy Flame of a Heaven Grade Alchemist was a Mortal Flame.
If they hadn’t seen it with their eyes, they wouldn’t have believed it. Mortal Flames were usually used by new Alchemists as they were the lowest Grade of Alchemy Flames.
Wu Zheng Qi was also astounded. Yang Kai had visited the Divine Flame Cave a few days ago, so he should have gained something. Why did he only get a Mortal Flame?
A busy Wei Cheng took a glance at Yang Kai, then guffawed, “Alchemist Yang… how can you use a Mortal Flame to refine a Starry Sky Flower? Do you know that it’s a Heaven Grade herb? There’s no way a Mortal Flame will work on this Spirit Flower. I suggest that you admit defeat now to save you from embarrassment.”
Yang Kai shot him a glance and replied impassively, “What difference does it make whether it’s a Mortal Flame or a Heaven Flame? The Alchemist is the foundation of everything. As long as one is skilful enough, he can refine a Heaven Grade herb using a Mortal Flame… like this!”
As he spoke, the white flame surged while the medicinal liquid was extracted from the Starry Sky Flower and formed into a ball. With continuous burning, the impurities were slowly removed.
Wei Cheng was stunned, “How is that possible?”
While he was in a dazed state, his Heaven Flame almost destroyed the starry Sky Flower. Flustered, he quickly restrained the Heaven Flame’s power.
The Alchemists around the stage broke into a commotion as the sight before their eyes was inconceivable. A white Mortal Flame could really refine a Heaven Grade herb as fast as Wei Chang’s Heaven Flame.
In fact, Yang Kai was actually suppressing the white flame.
Although he already knew that the white flame he had obtained from the Divine Flame Cave was strange, he hadn’t had time to carry out any experiments with it yet. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised the white flame was incredibly powerful when it came to refining medicinal liquid. He didn’t really exert much force when the medicinal liquid was extracted out of the Starry Sky Flower. Moreover, the impurities in the medicinal liquid were swiftly purified with the help of the white flame.
This made Yang Kai feel even more curious about the kind of Alchemy Flame he had obtained. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any record of it in the Sect’s Records Hall.
The competition was still ongoing. On the Martial Methods Stage, Yang Kai and Wei Cheng continuously adjusted the intensity of their Alchemy Flames. The original Starry Sky Flowers were now gone and replaced by two drops of medicinal liquid. The drops of liquid glowed as though a sky full of stars had been condensed together. As the impurities were removed, the drops of medicinal liquid shone brighter and brighter.
Wei Cheng’s forehead was covered in sweat. He didn’t mind losing 300,000 Red Jades, but he couldn’t bear to embarrass himself in such a way. It had been decades since he joined Profound Pill Sect, so if he lost the competition against a newcomer who only arrived a few days ago, he would be too embarrassed to show his face again. Moreover, Yang Kai was only using a Mortal Flame in this competition.
Therefore, Wei Cheng went all out. Under such immense pressure, he was able to exceed his own limits and compared to the times when he refined Starry Sky Flowers in the past, he actually achieved a new record in performance.
One hour later, Wei Cheng took a deep breath and abruptly withdrew his Heaven Flame.
There was a drop of very pure medicinal liquid hovering above his palm, swirling around in mid-air with the influence of his Spirit Qi. Under the sunlight, the medicinal liquid reflected a rainbow of lights.
He let out a breath and without even needing to look at it, Wei Cheng knew that he had extracted 70% of the medicinal efficacies from the Starry Sky Flower. Although it wasn’t the best record in Profound Pill Sect, it was the best he had personally achieved so far.
Then, he looked up and saw that Yang Kai had also finished his refinement. There was also a drop of Starry Sky Flower’s medicinal liquid hovering above his palm, and from the looks of it, the drop of medicinal liquid was about the same as his own.
With a conflicted expression, he felt his chest tightening.
That sight before his eyes alone made him realise that he had lost. That was because he used a Heaven Flame to refine the Starry Sky Flower while Yang Kai used a Mortal Flame. Wei Cheng didn’t think he could have achieved the same result using a Mortal Flame.
Still, this was a competition between two Alchemists with a huge wager on the line, so Wei Cheng naturally wouldn’t admit defeat easily. He looked provocatively at Yang Kai and commented, “You’re pretty amazing, Alchemist Yang.”
Yang Kai nodded, “You’ve done pretty well yourself, Alchemist Wei.”
Seeing that neither of them was sincere, Wu Zheng Qi coughed and said, “This Wu is a cultivator who knows nothing about the profundities of the Alchemic Dao. Both of you will be the judges of the results. I believe you’ll be impartial and conscientious.”
He might have been sincere when he said those words, but it could also be that he wasn’t willing to be the judge of the last round. Both parties came to a draw in the combat rounds, and the winner would emerge in this final contest. It was inappropriate for Wu Zheng Qi to decide and announce the winner; therefore, he decided to leave the matter to the two competitors themselves.
Wei Cheng nodded, “In that case, Alchemist Yang and I will examine the medicinal liquid ourselves.”
Then, he circulated his Spirit Qi and pushed his drop of medicinal liquid towards Yang Kai. Seeing that, Yang Kai also sent his medicinal liquid that was extracted from Starry Sky Flower over.
While they examined each other’s medicinal liquid, the Alchemists around the Martial Methods Stage watched attentively. They were eager to find out who the winner would be; however, before the results were announced, they had no way to tell.
A moment later, Yang Kai put on a smile and gazed at Wei Cheng, whose expression kept changing as though he had just seen something shocking.
The spectators could see that while Yang Kai was calm and collected, Wei Cheng appeared conflicted. They were shocked as they thought that Wei Cheng might have lost the competition.
But, how was that possible? Both of them on the stage were Heaven Grade Alchemists, but one of them used a Mortal Flame while the other used a Heaven Flame. There was no way Wei Cheng would lose.
While they were lost in their doubts though, Wei Cheng suddenly let out a sigh and became dejected. The medicinal liquid hovering above his palm fell apart, then he cupped his fist, “Alchemist Yang is truly skilful. This Wei is no match for him. I’ve lost the competition.”
“You have my respect,” Yang Kai nodded gently. He wasn’t surprised by the outcome, but Wei Cheng had earned his respect at the last moment by being straightforward. That guy was foul-tempered, but he could still be considered a righteous man. At the very least, he wouldn’t refuse to admit defeat.
The crowd broke into a riot as the Alchemists looked at Yang Kai in shock. They could not figure out how he used a Mortal Flame to refine such pure medicine liquid and even defeated Wei Cheng. In the past, they would never have imagined such a thing was possible, but it now happened right in front of them on this day.
“I’ll tell someone to send the 300,000 Red Jades to you later. Goodbye!” Wei Cheng’s face was crimson as he hurriedly left the stage. He soon disappeared into the distance alongside his Blood Warriors.
“Congratulations, Alchemist Yang.” Wu Zheng Qi stepped forward and passed the True Void Sword back to him, “You’ve surprised all of us with your capabilities today. I’m sure your name will be known to everyone in Profound Pill Sect soon.”
Yang Kai took the sword and replied with a nod, “Many thanks for your kind words, Vice Hall Master Wu, but fame doesn’t really matter to me. Since this matter has been settled, I’ll take my leave now. I’m sorry for bothering you today.”
“It’s fine. I had fun watching the competition as well.” Wu Zheng Qi chuckled.
Yang Kai nodded and walked down the Martial Methods Stage, followed by Yang Huai.
Wei Cheng was a pretty efficient man as, barely one hour after Yang Kai returned to his cave mansion, he received the 300,000 Red Jades as promised. It took Yang Huai quite some time to carry all the Red Jades into the cave mansion, and once he was done, the entire place appeared quite luxurious.
Yang Kai had previously obtained 100,000 Red Jades from Heavenly Martial City, which allowed him to go from the Peak Earth Realm to the Third-Step Heaven Realm in just one month. With three times as many resources than what he previously possessed, Yang Kai reckoned that the Red Jades could last him for quite some time.
However, he was uncertain about how much his strength would increase. As one’s cultivation improved, he would consume increasingly more resources. Yang Kai even doubted that these Red Jades could allow him to achieve an ascension of two Steps.
With that said, things were easier now with these Red Jades. At the very least, he could buy the ingredients for the Body Tempering medicinal liquid that Yang Huai needed. He then fished out some Red Jades and jotted down a prescription before telling Yang Huai to head to Profound Pill City to buy a large number of herbs.
Profound Pill City relied on Profound Pill Sect to thrive, but the reverse was also true in some sense. As a result, there were a lot of herbs for sale in the city. It could even be said that any Spirit Herb could be found there as long as it wasn’t too rare.
It took Yang Huai four hours before he returned with bags of herbs in hand. Yang Kai selected some herbs that could help him with cultivating the Supreme Tyrant Body Art and told him to cultivate on his own. Then, he sat down with his legs crossed in the middle of the Red Jades that had been piled up like mounds and activated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
It could be said that Yang Kai instantly became famous after the competition on the Martial Methods Stage.
He already drew some attention when he joined Profound Pill Sect as a Heaven Grade Alchemist back then, but with that said, there were many Heaven Grade Alchemists in the Sect, and they had their own things to do; therefore, they were only slightly curious about him.
Now, however, after Yang Kai defeated Wei Cheng, his name became known to everyone in the Sect just like Wu Zheng Qi had predicted.
Not only was Yang Kai a Heaven Grade Alchemist at the astonishingly young age of 18, but he had also defeated a veteran Heaven Grade Alchemist when it came to refining medicinal liquid. Furthermore, he only used a white Mortal Flame at that time to do so.
All the things he had achieved piqued the interest of many. Even those from the Elder Council soon heard about it.
After the competition, Yang Kai started receiving invitations from various Heaven Grade Alchemists from time to time. They mostly ask him to their cave mansions to attend gatherings of sorts.
The Heaven Grade Alchemists would frequently come together and discuss the Alchemic Dao. This was the norm in Profound Pill Sect as by doing so, they could realise their own weaknesses and learn from others through exchanging pointers.
This was a great practice that had been passed down over the generations.
However, due to various different circumstances and personalities, the Heaven Grade Alchemists all had their own circles of friends, and it was difficult for others to mingle into such established groups.
Certainly, these circles wanted Yang Kai to join them, and he never turned them down. It had only been a short time since he joined Profound Pill Sect, so he was more than happy to become friendly with the other Heaven Grade Alchemists. Furthermore, he could also find out more about the level of Alchemy in this Divine Armament World by talking with others about it.
In just one month, Yang Kai had attended 7 gatherings. His experience and knowledge in the Alchemic Dao were far superior to these Heaven Grade Alchemists; however, due to his young age, he didn’t want to reveal too much. Having said that, he would occasionally let out some of his insight in a tactful manner and allow others to benefit from it.
He had made friends with many people in the past month, and he was well-received in all circles. If he claimed to be the most popular Heaven Grade Alchemist in Profound Pill Sect now, no one would object to it.
After all, given his young age and exceptional aptitude, any Heaven-Grade Alchemist was willing to become his friend.
The one-month deadline imposed by the Sect was fast approaching, but Hua Rong still hadn’t returned. However, considering the distance between Profound Pill Sect and Void Spirit Sword Sect, Hua Rong should be back soon.
As Yang Kai expected, Hua Rong returned barely three days before the deadline. With the temporary Identity Token given to her, she was able to enter Profound Pill Sect without difficulty.
When Yang Kai rushed over upon hearing the news, Hua Rong was already waiting in the Reception Palace.
Upon seeing him, Hua Rong cupped her fist, “Sir, fortunately, I’ve not disappointed you. They’re here.” She seemed exhausted and it was obvious that she hadn’t had proper rest in a while.
“Well done,” Yang Kai nodded and turned his head.
Wan Ying Ying and the other two Junior Brothers from Void Spirit Sword Sect came over with excited expressions and cupped their fists, “Eldest Senior Brother!”
Yang Kai raised his hand and stroked Wan Ying Ying’s head, “You must be tired. Did anything happen on the road?”
Despite being jovial, Wan Ying Ying still muttered, “Stop stroking my head, Eldest Senior Brother, I’m not a child… Nothing happened as Big Sister Hua was there to protect us.”
“That’s good. I’m sure you already know why I’ve asked you to come here. I need a few assistants, and since you have some heritage in Alchemy now, you can stay here to help me while continuing to study the Alchemic Dao.”
“Yes, Eldest Senior Brother. We won’t disappoint you!” The two Junior Brothers cupped their fists.
“Get some rest tonight and I’ll bring you to register your identities tomorrow. You’ll first have to join Profound Pill Sect and become Outer Disciples before you will be allowed to become my assistants.”
He then led Wan Ying Ying and the others to head to his cave mansion. Hua Rong approached the next moment and poked his waist before asking in a small voice, “Sir, who’s that ugly and ferocious-looking bear behind us?”
“Show some respect!” Yang Kai looked down at her hand and chided her, “I brought Yang Huai out of the Blood Warrior Hall to work as my guard. Since you will work with him, you should get to know him.”
“So, he’s a Blood Warrior from the Blood Warrior Hall.” Hua Rong seemed to have expected this. When she took one more glance at Yang Huai, she shuddered and asked dejectedly, “Sir, am I not good enough for you? Why did you get one more person to be your bodyguard? I’m saddened by what you’ve done! I went to Void Spirit Sword Sect and back in the past month for you. Is this how you’re supposed to treat me?”
She seemed ready to sob as though Yang Kai had thoughtlessly abandoned her after having his way with her.
Yang Kai glared at her, “If you dare to spout nonsense again, I’ll kick you out of Profound Pill Sect!”
Hua Rong instantly pressed her lips together, “Why do you sound like an old fart when you’re only a young man? Hmph!” Then, she exclaimed, “Wow! This is what the inner circle of Profound Pill Sect looks like. This place is magnificent, and the World Energy is so rich!”
Yang Kai shook his head and ignored her.
After returning to his cave mansion, Yang Kai told Hua Rong and the others to choose their own rooms and settle in. Then, he had a servant prepare a meal for them.
As they gathered together, they started wolfing down the food. Yang Kai asked about Void Spirit Sword Sect, and upon learning that all was well, he finally set his mind at ease.
After giving it a thought, he realised that it wasn’t so surprising. He was now a disciple of Profound Pill Sect after all. Additionally, Li Zheng Qing and Zhuang Ju He would never betray him. The other Earth Realm Masters were also still relying on him to refine Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills for them, so they would never do anything to harm Void Spirit Sword Sect.
Also, the Sect now possessed a Black Jade mine, so they wouldn’t have to worry about getting cultivation resources. They also had the support of the businesses owned by Tian Luo Hall and Roaring Tiger Sect. Before Wan Ying Ying and the others departed, Su Chang Fa, Gu Kang Ning, and Hong Xiu already had a discussion on whether they should open their gates and take in more disciples.
There were not many disciples in Void Spirit Sword Sect because they were previously not powerful enough or wealthy enough to protect and support too many people. However, things were different now. Even Tian Luo Hall and Roaring Tiger Sect had been subdued by them, so naturally, Su Chang Fa wanted to restore the glory of Void Spirit Sword Sect.
Before Wan Ying Ying left, Su Chang Fa had told her to ask Yang Kai for his permission; after all, Yang Kai was technically the Sect Master of Void Spirit Sword Sect.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t object to this. When there was a chance, he would head to Profound Pill City and get someone to send a letter back to Void Spirit Sword Sect.
Three days later, a Profound Pill Sect Deacon came to get a Wooden Token engraved with Yang Kai’s name to hang in front of a vacant desk at the Seeking Pill Pavilion.
The two Junior Brothers who came from Void Spirit Sword Sect also went to assist. One was tasked with running errands while the other was tasked with receiving the cultivators who came to ask for pills.
On the other hand, Wan Ying Ying remained by Yang Kai’s side to help him personally. Compared to the two other Junior Brothers, her aptitude in Alchemy was better. Besides, Yang Kai intended to nurture her talents.
Although Yang Kai mastered countless pill recipes, none of them belonged to the Divine Armament World. Many of the pills in the outside world did not exist in the Divine Armament World. Similarly, some of the pills in the Divine Armament World did not exist in the outside world.
That was why he only listed one type of pill, which was the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, when the Deacon came to collect the Wooden Token for registration.
In other words, Yang Kai would only be refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill at the Seeking Pill Pavilion. Fortunately, this pill was also the most in-demand pill among all Earth Realm cultivators.
Even though he started providing Alchemy services today, Yang Kai was not too concerned. Refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill was not a difficult matter for him after all. It would take some time at most; therefore, he continued to cultivate even after the Deacon took his Wooden Token.
On the other hand, Wan Ying Ying waited outside his secluded home with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. From time to time, she would raise her head and look down the mountain frantically.
After waiting for more than two hours, a figure suddenly came speeding in this direction from the foot of the mountain. She let out a cheer and quickly went to greet the visitor.
A short while later, she came hurrying into the secluded home with a bag clutched tightly in her hands. She exclaimed excitedly, “Eldest Senior Brother! Eldest Senior Brother! Somebody came to request a pill!”
Wrapped in a burst of fragrant wind, she rushed over to Yang Kai. She was completely out of breath, and her bosom that was just beginning to take shape heaved up and down violently.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked at her; then, he spoke with some amusement, “If somebody is here to make a pill request, then they are here to make a pill request. Why don’t you catch your breath first?”
She quickly took several deep breaths and calmed her excitement. After that, she placed the bag beside him and looked at him eagerly.
“Open the bag and take a look inside,” he motioned to her.
She responded and cheerfully opened the bag. When she saw the dazzling array of items inside the bag, she couldn’t help exclaiming in astonishment, “What are all these!? These must be worth quite a lot!”
Yang Kai swept a glance over the items and nodded, “The pill recipe of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill is a secret that only the Alchemists of each Sect are allowed to know. That’s why the people who come to request the pill do not know what kind of herbs to prepare. They either prepare enough Black Jades and Red Jades or precious treasures with enough value as compensation. Of course, how much they prepare will depend entirely on their means and generosity. The more generous they are, the further up on the waiting list they will be placed, and the faster they can obtain the pill they want.”
This was a piece of information Yang Kai learned after spending time with other Alchemists over the past month. Due to the number of cultivators in the Divine Armament World, there was an overwhelming demand for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. The speed at which Alchemists could refine pills could not keep up with the demands of the cultivators.
It had to be said that not every cultivator only required one Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill to advance to the Heaven Realm. Some might even need to undergo many attempts before they succeed, and each attempt required one or more Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills.
Compared to other Heaven Grade pills, the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill was much harder to refine. Among hundreds of Heaven Grade Alchemists in Profound Pill Sect, less than half were listed to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. The other half either did not have enough contribution points to exchange for the pill recipe or their success rate in refining the pill was so low that Profound Pill Sect forbade them from refining it.
Therefore, all the Heaven Realm Alchemists listed to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills had accumulated large amounts of resources brought by the cultivators who came here to make pill requests.
It was just that performing Alchemy required time. That was why not all the cultivators who came to make a pill request could obtain the pill they wanted quickly. Some people who came to make a pill request might be placed on the waiting list and told it would be several years before it was their turn.
That was what happened to Tian Luo Hall’s Palace Master, Shu Wan Cheng, back then. He once came to Profound Pill Sect to request a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill and offered up a substantial remuneration; even so, he was told to wait for several years…
It was not as though one’s priority on the waiting list was immutable. If they offered a gift valuable enough to tempt the Alchemist performing Alchemy for them, then their request would be brought forward on the waiting list. For that reason, most cultivators who came to make a pill request would prepare as much compensation as they could afford in order to obtain the pill they wanted as soon as possible.
This was not a secret, and when Yang Kai heard this from his Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, he finally understood why most Alchemists were such wealthy people in the Divine Armament World.
With the ability to perform Alchemy, it was difficult not to make a fortune. And, Yang Kai was now one of them. There was basically no need to worry about his cultivation resources from now onward. As long as he continued to provide Alchemy services at the Seeking Pill Pavilion, the riches would continue to flow without pause.
“Ying Ying, have you prepared the things I asked you to?” Yang Kai placed the bag of items to the side and asked.
“I’ve prepared them, Eldest Senior Brother!” Wan Ying Ying quickly nodded in response.
“In that case, let’s begin. You may stand to the side to observe my actions. If there’s anything you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Yes!” She nodded seriously.
She knew that her Eldest Senior Brother wanted to nurture her talents, and that an opportunity to observe a Heaven Grade Alchemist performing Alchemy was very rare. Even the medicine boys serving beside the other Alchemists in Profound Pill Sect did not enjoy such generous treatment.
This was the first time Yang Kai performed Alchemy after he obtained the White Flame and the Five Dragons Furnace, and he soon discovered that the support provided by the White Flame when performing Alchemy was simply incredible. Be it in terms of condensing the medicinal liquid or other processes, the results were countless times better than when he used the Radiant Flame Stones.
…..
At Seeking Pill Pavilion.
Ma Tai sat in a corner with a depressed look on his face, looking as though he had lost his soul. At this moment, he was staring lifelessly at the desk by the side. There were two young medicine boys sitting behind the desk; moreover, there was a Wooden Token hanging above the desk with the name ‘Yang Kai’ engraved on top.
Unlike the other desks where there were people constantly coming and going all day long, this desk could be said to be noticeably empty. It could even be said that nobody visited this table!
Of course, it was not completely without visitors. At the very least, Ma Tai had gone up to that desk to make a pill request when the Seeking Pill Pavilion opened its doors this morning. He also offered up all the wealth that he had been accumulating for many years.
He initially waited with great excitement and anticipation, but after making some inquiries, he was completely dumbfounded by what he learned instead.
It turned out that the Heaven Grade Alchemist named Yang Kai was providing Alchemy services at the Seeking Pill Pavilion for the first time today. As if that was not bad enough, it was rumoured that Alchemist Yang was only 18 years old…
[An 18-year-old Heaven Grade Alchemist!? How can there be such a person in this world!? When I was 18 years old, I was only in the Mortal Realm! Even if Alchemist Yang began learning Alchemy from inside his mother’s womb, it’s still impossible for him to be a Heaven-Grade Alchemist! Let’s just say that he is indeed a Heaven-Grade Alchemist, but he is so young! What is his success rate in refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill!?]
Ma Tai finally understood why nobody had been lining up at this desk when he arrived here this morning. He initially thought that he was incredibly lucky and hit the jackpot, but who could have known that this was the real situation?
[It’s over! It’s all over now! If my pill request fails, I will never get another chance to advance into the Heaven Realm again! If I don’t advance into the Heaven Realm, then how will I get my revenge on my enemies!?]
Thinking back to the person who died in his arms three years ago, he was tempted to kill himself by ramming his head into the table. He deeply regretted his foolishness. [There are so many Alchemists, why did I have to choose this fledgling Alchemist Yang!?]
“Another pitiful person whose pill request failed,” a passerby couldn’t help sighing when they walked by and saw him. Then, they casually tossed a Black Jade to him.
There were many people at the Seeking Pill Pavilion like Ma Tai, those who spent a great fortune just to come here only for their pill request to fail in the end generally had the same reaction as him. Some even went mad from the shock. It was just that there were Spirit Realm Masters guarding the Seeking Pill Pavilion all year round, so those who dared to act without restraint in this place tended to suffer tragic endings.
The clattering of the Black Jade startled Ma Tai back to his senses and he stood up abruptly. [Maybe I still have time to change my mind! I only just offered up my compensation this morning after all. Less than half a day has passed since then. Alchemist Yang might not have started refining yet. I might have the chance to get back what I offered earlier.]
As soon as the thought passed through his head, he hurried over to the desk.
The two young disciples from Void Spirit Sword Sect sat upright behind the desk. Looking at the lively scene in front of the other desks and comparing that to the quiet scene in front of them, they could not help feeling envious.
“Senior Brother Jing An, why won’t they come and make a pill request to Eldest Senior Brother? We don’t have anybody here. They don’t even need to queue!” The slightly younger Junior Brother asked.
Senior Brother Jing An replied, “It might be because Eldest Senior Brother is just starting to provide Alchemy services and his name is not well-known. The people who came here to make pill requests feel uneasy about Eldest Senior Brother’s skills. Even if there’s no need to queue here, they won’t dare to try asking us; after all, it was not easy for them to gather their wealth for compensation.”
The Junior Brother said, “But, isn’t Eldest Senior Brother amazing at refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill? I heard that the Former Sect Master has many Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills that Eldest Senior Brother refined before he left.”
Jing An laughed and explained, “You might know that, but others don’t. Don’t worry, Junior Brother. Fame is like fine wine, the older it gets, the more fragrant it becomes. Time will tell. Besides, didn’t we get a customer who came to make a pill request earlier? Oh, somebody’s coming! Stop looking so gloomy. Smile quickly! Things might be a little quiet here, and our business might be a little lacking, but we can’t lose to others when it comes to hospitality. Hmm? Why does this customer look so familiar?”
The Junior Brother muttered, “This person seems to be the one who came to make a pill request this morning…”
“So it is him!’”
Ma Tai walked straight up to the desk and cupped his fist with a slight bow, “Greetings, Sirs!”
Jing An smiled, “So it is the Sir who came to make a pill request this morning! How may I help you, Sir?”
Ma Tai opened his mouth. Despite rehearsing what he wanted to say earlier, he didn’t know how to bring up the topic at this moment, [Should I say that I want to take back what I offered up earlier? Should I say I’m regretting my decision and don’t want to go through with my request anymore? If I say these words, will they beat me up… But, this matter is related to my advancement into the Heaven Realm!]
Even though he was extremely anxious, he could only steel himself now. Just as Ma Tai was about to speak though, he heard the medicine boy call out while looking at something behind him, “Little Junior Sister, you’re here! Does Eldest Senior Brother have instructions for us?”
Ma Tai turned to look in that direction and saw a young girl dressed in turquoise robes with a sweet appearance walking towards them. She was probably the so-called Little Junior Sister.
Wan Ying Ying said, “Eldest Senior Brother didn’t give any instructions. I came here to deliver the pill.”
Before Jing An could react, a sudden thought occurred to Ma Tai and his eyes lit up and he shouted, “Deliver a pill!? Deliver what pill!?”
Wan Ying Ying was so startled that she jumped to the side and looked at Ma Tai in confusion, “This is…”
Jing An smiled and said, “Don’t panic, Little Junior Sister. This Sir is the one who made a pill request this morning.”
“Oh! So it is you!” She immediately understood and pursed her lips into a smile, “Since you are here, Sir, I’ll just hand the pill straight to you. You can also check to see if there’s anything wrong with it.”
While speaking, she handed a jade box to Ma Tai.
Ma Tai stared at the jade box in shock, “Pill… Is the pill I requested done?”
“En!” She tilted her head to the side and stared at him, unable to understand his reaction; then, she pushed the jade box towards him again and said, “Sir, why don’t you take a look first? Afterwards, please accompany Senior Brother Jing An to the front desk and report the results to the Deacon stationed here.”
“Oh! Good, good, good!” Ma Tai finally returned to his senses. He wiped his hands vigorously against his clothes as though he was afraid the dirt on his palms might contaminate the jade box and took it with great solemnity. Holding his breath, he opened the box lightly and a round pill entered his vision…
Wan Ying Ying proceeded to say, “Sir, your luck is pretty good. Eldest Senior Brother managed to produce one High-Rank pill.”
Ma Tai’s hands started to tremble uncontrollably, and his eyes stared fixedly on the pill inside the jade box like a leech. He had never felt so emotionally charged before and he exclaimed excitedly, “A High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill!”
When his voice rang out, numerous pairs of eyes from all directions turned to stare at him in unison.
Wan Ying Ying leaned close to her two Senior Brothers and asked in a whisper, “Um… What’s wrong with this Sir? Why is he making such a huge fuss?”
Jing An replied with a laugh, “Maybe he’s just too happy.”
“Is… Is this really what Alchemist Yang refined for me?” Ma Tai was in disbelief.
Just moments ago, he had decided to ask for his compensation back despite the risk of offending a Heaven-Grade Alchemist. Who could have known that he would obtain a High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in the blink of an eye? His life was truly filled with ups and downs.
[It’s a High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill! I never even dreamed that I would receive a High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill!] When he came here, he felt that he would have been satisfied just to receive a Mid-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill… It had to be said that countless people came to the Seeking Pill Pavilion for pills every year; however, less than 10% of them were lucky enough to obtain High-Rank pills. Most of them would only receive Mid-Rank or even Low-Rank pills.
“That’s right! It was just refined earlier. In fact, it’s still warm from the furnace! If you don’t believe me, you can feel it for yourself,” Wan Ying Ying pointed out.
Ma Tai didn’t know which part of his brain was defective, but he listened to her words and actually reached out his hand to touch the pill; then, he immediately exclaimed in surprise, “It really is warm…”
Wan Ying Ying smiled even more brightly as she said, “Did you think I would lie to you? I personally watched as Eldest Senior Brother refined this pill, and then I quickly delivered the pill here without a moment’s delay.”
“Many thanks! Many, many thanks, Young Lady!” Ma Tai thanked her gratefully.
Jing An said, “Sir, there are many eyes here. I think you should put the pill away first.”
Upon hearing those words, Ma Tai finally realised that there were countless people around him; moreover, they were almost all staring at the pill in his hands with envious gazes. He quickly closed the jade box and cupped his fist at the three of them, “Please thank Alchemist Yang on my behalf. This Ma will definitely return this great kindness if the chance arises in the future!”
Unable to understand what Ma Tai was feeling at the moment, Wan Ying Ying was at a loss for what to do and quickly waved her hands, “You’re being too polite, Sir. You came here to make a pill request. Not to mention that you’ve already paid for it. It’s only right that we refine the pill for you.”
Jing An chimed in, “Sir, please follow me to meet the Deacon stationed here and report the handover in person.”
This was a necessary procedure. Every Alchemist who provided Alchemy services at the Seeking Pill Pavilion had to make a record regarding the success or failure of their pill refining and the quality of the pills they produced. These were related to their evaluation and how many contribution points they would receive as a result.
Ma Tai was clearly aware of this procedure so he immediately nodded and said, “Of course. It’s as it should be. Sir, please lead the way!”
Jing An immediately led Ma Tai to the Deacon stationed at the front desk. Ma Tai took out the High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill and left after obtaining the Deacon’s verification. Meanwhile, the Deacon wrote down Yang Kai’s Alchemy evaluation in his records.
At the same time, a large crowd of people suddenly rushed over to the originally quiet and deserted table. They surrounded Wan Ying Ying and the other Junior Brother, clamouring with questions. When they heard that there was no extended wait required for Yang Kai to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, especially after witnessing the High-Rank pill that Yang Kai refined for Ma Tai, many people immediately expressed their desire to request Alchemy services from him.
For a time, the scene was so chaotic that they attracted the attention of the Seeking Pill Pavilion’s guards. Only then did the chaotic situation return to order.
A short while later, Wan Ying Ying hurried back to Fixed Moon Peak where Yang Kai’s secluded home was located. She also brought with her an entire carriage worth of precious treasures!
When she rushed into the secluded home while yelling excitedly, Hua Rong and Yang Huai naturally came out after hearing the commotion. After listening to Wan Ying Ying’s explanation and seeing the carriage that was filled with treasures, Hua Rong’s eyes shone with a green light. She kept circling around the carriage and cheering, “We’re rich! We’re rich! We’re rich!”
On the other hand, Yang Kai was very calm. This situation was well within his expectations. He instructed Hua Rong and Yang Huai to put away the items in the carriage. He told them to keep the useful items and then bring the rest down the mountain to sell at Profound Pill City for Red Jades. As for Yang Kai himself, he entered his secluded home with Wan Ying Ying to continue performing Alchemy.
There was an unwritten rule among the Alchemists of Profound Pill Sect when it came to performing Alchemy, no matter how many pills were refined, they only needed to give one to the person who made the request. They could keep the remaining pills for themselves. It was up to them whether they wanted to hand these pills to the Sect or sell them themselves.
Nevertheless, even an Alchemist like Gao Xin Peng could only refine 4 Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills back when Yang Kai first met him. Moreover, 3 of them were Mid-Rank pills while the last was a Low-Rank pill. Gao Xin Peng was considered one of the best among all the Heaven Grade Alchemists in Profound Pill Sect, but even he could only obtain such results, so what more need be said about the other Heaven Grade Alchemists?
Producing 2 or 3 pills per furnace was basically the norm. In many cases, they might produce only 1 pill or worse, fail at their Alchemy attempt altogether.
Therefore, most Heaven Grade Alchemists did not have many Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills in their possession despite this unwritten rule. Refining a furnace of Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills would take at least half a day or up to two days. Furthermore, they needed to rest and recover their strength afterwards, so their efficiency was not very high.
Yang Kai, however, was very different from the others. With his Alchemy Skills, he could produce at least 5 or 6 pills at a time. If he was lucky, he might even produce 7 or 8 pills.
When he refined the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill for Ma Tai, he had produced 6 pills from that furnace, 2 of them were High-Rank while the others were Mid-Rank. With just one furnace of pills, Yang Kai had enough to satisfy the pill requests of six people.
In addition, the time he took to refine one furnace of pills was much shorter compared to other Alchemists. It was only because he was teaching Wan Ying Ying along the way that Yang Kai deliberately slowed down his movements. If he focused solely on the refinement process, he would only need an hour or so to finish a furnace of Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills.
Not only could Yang Kai condense many more pills at once than average, but he also took far less time to do so. In this way, providing Alchemy services did not affect his cultivation time at all.
As the days passed, a long queue formed in front of a certain desk at the Seeking Pill Pavilion every single day. There was an endless stream of people who came to make pill requests. As long as they were there for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, they would choose to queue in front of Yang Kai’s desk.
This couldn’t be helped though as the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill that Yang Kai refined would be Mid-Rank at worst. With a little luck, they might even receive a High-Rank pill. More importantly, there was no precedent of failure. This gave the people who came to ask for pills a great sense of security and reassurance. For that reason, they were willing to spend however much needed for their requests.
The number of people who came to ask Yang Kai for pills already created a wait list a year long. Be that as it may, a year was not that long compared to the other Alchemists.
The 300,000 pieces of Red Jade that Wei Cheng lost to Yang Kai back then had been finished a long time ago. Most of the resources brought by the people who came to ask for pills were also sold for Red Jades by Yang Huai and Hua Rong, who then constantly sent these Red Jades back to the secluded home for Yang Kai to cultivate with. Meanwhile, the remaining Spirit Herbs were refined into various pills by Yang Kai.
With the help of massive amounts of resources and pills, Yang Kai and the others experienced a rapid growth in their respective cultivations!
Hua Rong who was previously in the Sixth-Step Heaven Realm had advanced into the Seventh-Step Heaven Realm after serving by Yang Kai’s side for a mere three months. Wan Ying Ying and Jing An advanced into the Seventh-Step Mortal Realm and Eighth-Step Mortal Realm, respectively.
Even Yang Huai advanced from the Second-Step Heaven Realm to the Fifth-Step Heaven Realm in one go! His growth rate was simply sensational. The Supreme Tyrant Body Art was indeed perfectly suited to this brawny man who resembled an iron tower. Supplemented by the large amounts of resources and elixirs given to him by Yang Kai, it was not strange for Yang Huai to experience such remarkable growth.
As for Yang Kai, he was now in the Fifth-Step Heaven Realm. With the growth of his strength, his demand for cultivation resources also grew larger in turn. The Heaven Devouring Battle Law was certainly Heaven-defying. When cultivating this Secret Art, devouring resources was like drinking water or eating rice. Combined with the continuous stimulation of his Dragon Vein, there was no amount of resources in the world that Yang Kai could not swallow clean in a short period of time.
Fortunately, resources would flow in continuously as long as he continued to provide Alchemy services at the Seeking Pill Pavilion.
At present, Yang Kai was more worried about his contribution points than Red Jades. Although he received a set amount of contribution points for every Alchemy service he performed, it was not much. He had investigated the number of contribution points required to exchange for the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill already, and the number was so high that Yang Kai felt a little speechless.
Based on his current rate of accumulation, he would need to perform Alchemy at the Seeking Pill Pavilion for at least 20 years to save up enough contribution points to exchange for the pill recipe of the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
It was not surprising when he thought about it though. Generally speaking, it would take at least several dozen years for a Heaven Grade Alchemist to become a Spirit Grade Alchemist. As such, a Heaven-Grade Alchemist had more than enough time to accumulate the necessary contribution points. It was just that the speed of Yang Kai’s growth and advancement was too fast.
In just three months, he had advanced from the Second-Step Heaven Realm to the Fifth-Step Heaven Realm. Yang Kai estimated it would take only a year or 2 before he reached the Ninth-Step Heaven Realm. At that time, he would need the pill recipe for the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in order to refine one for himself!
One or two years was not enough time for him to accumulate enough contribution points, no matter how many furnaces of pills he refined. He even took the time to teach the Earth Grade and Mortal Grade Alchemists in the Sect to earn more contribution points, but unfortunately, these contribution points were but a drop in the bucket compared to what he needed.
Third Elder Yu Bo Yang rushed into Profound Pill Sect’s Elder Hall with a scroll in his hands.
Great Elder Wu Feng Hua asked, “What’s wrong, Elder Yu?”
“Greetings, Great Elder!” Yu Bo Yang gave a bow before he explained, “While checking the daily reports of the Sect today, I came across something interesting. Please take a look, Great Elder.”
Wu Feng Hua stroked his beard and smiled lightly, “If even you find it interesting, Elder Yu, then it won’t be a trivial matter. What happened?”
Yu Bo Yang did not elaborate. He simply handed the scroll in his hand to the other party; then, he sat down on a chair next to the Great Elder and poured himself a cup of tea.
Wu Feng Hua unfurled the scroll and murmured, “Oh? The records from the Seeking Pill Pavilion…” Following a quick glance through the records, it didn’t take long before his eyes involuntarily narrowed slightly, “This… Are you certain that the records are accurate, Elder Yu?”
Yu Bo Yang slowly nodded, “The Deacons in charge of recording the pill quality at the Seeking Pill Pavilion work in groups of two that rotate shifts every ten days. It’s impossible for every group to make a mistake. I have also questioned them myself. This is indeed the truth.”
“How can this be?” Wu Feng Hua stared at a certain part of the scroll, where the name ‘Yang Kai of Fixed Moon Peak’ was clearly written. Below the name were various dates followed by the words ‘Pill Formed’. Lastly came the words ‘High-Rank’ and ‘Mid-Rank’ that appeared in a cyclical manner behind the words ‘Pill Formed’. Moreover, the words ‘High-Rank’ occupied a terrifying 30% in this series!
Yu Bo Yang said, “It’s difficult to believe, but this is indeed the truth! Ever since Yang Kai began providing Alchemy services three months ago, he has never experienced a single failure when refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. Moreover, the quality is always Mid-Rank or above.”
Wu Feng Hua was pensive, “It’s possible that he may have failed, but he used the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills he refined previously to make up for the losses!”
“Even so, this success rate is terrifying! He has practically surpassed even veterans like us! In all fairness, can you achieve such success for three consecutive months, Great Elder?”
Wu Feng Hua pondered the question seriously before he slowly shook his head, “It’s difficult!”
Yu Bo Yang asked, “Even veterans like us can’t accomplish this, so how did a young boy like him do it? Not to mention, the quality of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills are all Mid-Rank or superior!”
Wu Feng Hua looked up at the other party, “Elder Yu, what do you mean…”
Yu Bo Yang explained, “This boy must have his own unique insights into refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, which can increase his success rate and the quality of the pills!”
Wu Feng Hua fell silent for a while before he nodded lightly.
Yu Bo Yang continued, “Great Elder, please take another look at the number of times he has performed Alchemy over the past three months. You’ll discover something else after you make a comparison.”
After receiving the reminder from Yu Bo Yang, Wu Feng Hua checked the records once more. A moment later, he raised an eyebrow and exclaimed, “This boy is getting faster and faster!”
Yu Bo Yang nodded in affirmation, “That’s right. In the beginning, he could only refine enough Pills to fulfil the pill requests of 2 people each day. He probably refined a single furnace of pills per day, and each furnace produced 2 or 3 pills. Afterwards, he gradually began to satisfy the needs of 3 to 4 people each day, but over the last week or so, 7 or 8 people received a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill each day. 7 or 8 people! This is truly unheard of!”
Even if refining one furnace of pills produced 3 pills, one would need to refine 3 furnaces of pills to supply enough pills for 7 to 8 people. How could a single Heaven-Grade Alchemist refine 3 furnaces of pills within a day though? Even veterans like themselves would be exhausted after refining 2 furnaces of such pills in a single day. Furthermore, this was not counting the time needed for rest and recovery.
Wu Feng Hua closed the scroll, “It looks like this boy does indeed have his own personal insight into refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill! Elder Yu, why did you come here to tell me about this matter? What are your thoughts?”
Yu Bo Yang’s eyes gleamed, “Great Elder, this is an important matter that can bring great fortune to Profound Pill Sect. If the boy can spread his Alchemy Techniques within Profound Pill Sect, then the Alchemists of Profound Pill Sect will experience a massive improvement in efficiency. What’s more, since his insights can be used for refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, it might also work with other pills. If that is possible, then…”
Wu Feng Hua’s eyes narrowed slightly. How could he not realise the importance of the matter?
If Yang Kai could share his insights with the entire Sect, it would certainly be a huge boon and merit. At that time, the time taken for the Alchemists of the Sect to refine pills would be shortened considerably. They would have more time to do other things and in the long term, the benefits towards Profound Pill Sect would be immeasurable.
“Be that as it may, such insights belong to him…” Wu Feng Hua hesitated slightly.
Yu Bo Yang insisted, “He is a Profound Pill Sect disciple! If it is something that can benefit Profound Pill Sect, he should offer up his insights. Besides, it’s not like the Sect won’t compensate him for his contribution.”
Wu Feng Hua shook his head, “This boy is extremely talented and will definitely become a Spirit Grade Alchemist one day. There’s no need to create friction with him.”
“But…”
He raised a hand to stop Yu Bo Yang, “This matter is very important, so I must inform the Sect Master. Sect Master can decide on what to do. Why don’t you come with me, Elder Yu?”
Yu Bo Yang nodded upon hearing those words, “Good!”
The two of them immediately set off to meet the Sect Master and report their various discoveries.
…..
Inside a secluded home halfway up Fixed Moon Peak, Yang Kai was teaching Wan Ying Ying Alchemy with some common materials when Yang Huai suddenly walked inside and announced in a rumbling voice, “Sir, there’s an old man outside who claims to be the bodyguard of the Sect Master. He said that the Sect Master invites you over for a chat.”
“The Sect Master?” Yang Kai raised an eyebrow at those words. [Is it finally here? I’m glad that my continuous attempts recently were not a waste of time.] He nodded and added, “Got it. I’ll head there now.”
After instructing Wan Ying Ying to practice on her own, Yang Kai changed his clothes and walked out of the cave mansion, where he immediately noticed the stooped old man.
The old man was standing there with his hands behind his back, looking rather ordinary and inconspicuous. There did not seem to be anything special about him other than the fact that one of his eyes was blind. There was no saying what he experienced in the past to become like this.
Upon seeing Yang Kai approaching him, the old man simply looked up at him without much reaction.
“Greetings, Senior,” Yang Kai stepped forward and bowed. Although he was a Heaven Grade Alchemist, this old man was the bodyguard of the Sect Master. The old man was bound to be in the Spirit Realm, and likely a Master at the peak of the Spirit Realm at that.
The old man gently nodded, “The Sect Master has summoned you. Follow me!”
Saying so, he turned around.
In the next moment, Yang Kai felt a gentle force wrapping around him. He then flew forward behind the old man, the scenery passing by him as swiftly as the wind. 10 breaths later, his figure came to a sudden halt and he found himself standing in front of a Grand Hall before he could react.
The old man turned back and said, “Go on in. The Sect Master and several Elders are inside.”
“Many thanks, Senior!” Yang Kai cupped his fist as thanks and strode towards the hall.
[Speaking of which, I have never met the Elders of Profound Pill Sect before.] There was a test when he first joined Profound Pill Sect, but nobody had revealed themselves at the time, so Yang Kai had never met them before.
Being summoned here today was within his expectations though.
Ever since he began providing Alchemy services, Yang Kai had no choice but to improve and increase his refinement speed as the number of pills he produced had to keep up with his demand for cultivation resources. Only then could he grow stronger, faster.
Unfortunately, such outstanding performance would surely attract the attention of Profound Pill Sect’s Elders one day.
Yang Kai originally felt a little hesitant about his actions; after all, his current strength was not that high, so it might be dangerous to expose too much of his real ability.
However, after careful consideration, he decided that there was no danger to his life since he was part of Profound Pill Sect now. In addition, he might even be able to resolve his concern over the contribution points along the way.
Nevertheless, his explanation for certain things had to be carefully considered!
Upon entering the Main Hall, Yang Kai immediately felt three pairs of eyes turning towards him, and when he looked up, he saw three people sitting up ahead.
The one in the middle was an old man dressed in all white. He also had white hair and a white beard. Despite his clearly advanced age, he was in high spirits. His expression was dignified and calm, as though he was used to being in a high position.
Two other old men were sitting on his left and right. One was dressed in green and the other was dressed in red robes. The three of them were extremely imposing and while the power in their bodies was withdrawn, they were definitely in the Spirit Realm.
Yang Kai took two steps forward and cupped his fist, “Disciple Yang Kai, greets Sect Master and two Elders!”
The old man in the middle smiled, “How do you know that this Old Master is the Sect Master? We’ve never met before, right? Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if you addressed the wrong person?”
Yang Kai calmly replied, “If I’ve addressed Senior wrongly, then I’ll ask to make sure before I greet you again.”
The Great Elder and Third Elder exchanged a glance with each other with the latter commenting, “He’s quite bold!”
Baili Yun Sang raised a hand to calm the chatter before continuing, “I called you here today because of your excellent performance at the Seeking Pill Pavilion. Be it in terms of quality or quantity, the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills you refined are far superior to your peers. It’s just that the Great Elder and the Third Elder have some doubts about certain matters. That’s why I called you here to refine a furnace of Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in front of us!”
Yu Bo Yang said, “Both the herbs and the Alchemy Furnace have been prepared for you. The Sect Master himself used this Alchemy Furnace when he was younger, so it is definitely better than your own Alchemy Furnace. Feel free to use it as you please.”
Those words made Yang Kai raise a brow. Looking up, he saw a small and delicate Alchemy Furnace in front of him. He had noticed this object when he first entered the Grand Hall, but he had not paid much attention to it at the time. Looking at it now, he realised that the Alchemy Furnace was indeed quite old. He could tell that it was extraordinary at first glance.
The Great Elder also spoke up, “Do your best at this refining! Don’t feel stressed or pressured about anything!”
Yang Kai thought to himself, [If I did my best at refining, wouldn’t I frighten you guys to death…] Even so, he cupped his fist and said, “This Disciple will not disappoint Sect Master and two Elders.”
“Do you need time to rest or prepare?” Wu Feng Hua asked.
Yang Kai replied, “This disciple is full of vigour. There’s no need for that.”
Wu Feng Hua nodded, “In that case, please begin.”
Yang Kai bowed and finally walked over to the Alchemy Furnace. Activating his Spirit Qi to stimulate his Alchemy Flame, he shot the little white flame into the Alchemy Furnace.
As soon as the white-coloured Alchemy Flame appeared, Baili Yun Sang and the two Elders were stunned. That was because the white flame seemed to be nothing more than a Mortal Flame to them.
[This brat is going to use a Mortal Flame to refine a Heaven Grade pill!?] Great Elder Wu Feng Hua was about to question Yang Kai when Baili Yun Sang raised a hand to stop him.
He glanced at Baili Yun Sang in astonishment, only to see the latter staring at the white flame with a solemn expression. Moreover, Baili Yun Sang’s eyes were flashing with excitement.
[Why would a trivial Mortal Flame make the Sect Master so excited?] Wu Feng Hua wondered before a sudden thought struck him. He suddenly recalled a certain legend written in one of the Sect’s oldest records…
Four months had passed since Yang Kai joined Profound Pill Sect. With the exception of the first month, he had spent the remaining three months refining Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills every single day. It could be said that he had perfected the skill of refining this Heaven Grade pill and could flawlessly do so even with his eyes closed at this point.
Therefore, he even had the excess energy to covertly pay attention to the reactions of the Sect Master and the two Elders. The Spirit Qi around them fluctuated slightly and it was obvious that the three of them were secretly communicating with each other.
Nevertheless, he had already mentally prepared himself to expose some of his secrets. That was why he had to put some effort into refining the pill this time.
The white Alchemy Flame danced as he formed one hand seal after another.
After several hours, Yang Kai used his Pill Condensing Technique before smacking the Alchemy Furnace with his palms. A soft sound immediately rang out from within the furnace. At the same time, the strong aroma of pills filled the air.
Taking a shallow breath, he took two steps backwards and cupped his fist, “Sect Master, Elders, this Disciple has finished the refining. Please inspect and verify the results!”
All three men seated above him stared at him blankly. Their expressions were filled with a sense of shock and disbelief that could not be concealed. As the Elders of Profound Pill Sect, they were considered wise and knowledgeable. Moreover, they were accustomed to various great changes in life. Even when battling the other Alchemy forces during the Divine Armament Tournament, their expressions would remain indifferent and unchanged.
However, they had no idea how they were supposed to feel about everything they just witnessed.
Everything that happened just now was beyond their comprehension. If they had not seen the entire process from start to finish, they would not have dared to believe that such a bizarre situation could exist in this world.
“How long?” Baili Yun Sang was the first to return to his senses and turned to look at the Great Elder, asking this short question.
Wu Feng Hua quietly counted for a moment before he solemnly said, “Less than 6 hours!”
Yu Bo Yang gasped. Even though he had expected such results, he couldn’t help feeling absolutely stunned to hear those words.
It took less than 6 hours to refine a furnace of Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills! Moreover, this furnace was refined by a Heaven Grade Alchemist! Even veterans like them would normally take 8 to 10 hours to refine a furnace of Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills. It had to be said that they were among the best Spirit Grade Alchemists in the entire world. If other Heaven Grade Alchemists were given this task, it would be good if they took only 12 hours to refine a furnace of Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills!
Such results had surpassed the refining record of the entire Profound Pill Sect… No, the refining record of the entire Divine Armament World!
Baili Yun Sang nodded lightly, “The time has been shortened by half, at the very least. Now, we have to check the pills that were formed.”
Having said so, he walked down from his seat. The Great Elder and Third Elder quickly followed behind him.
It only took a few steps for them to stand in front of the Alchemy Furnace. All three of them unanimously had expressions of anticipation and anxiety on their faces, as if there was something very important inside this furnace.
“Open it,” Baili Yun Sang instructed.
Wu Feng Hua responded and raised a hand to smack the Alchemy Furnace. The cover of the furnace flew into the air, and the situation inside the furnace immediately entered their eyes.
Yu Bo Yang exclaimed in astonishment, “He produced 5 pills!” Reaching out a hand, he grabbed the 5 pills and examined them carefully, his expression of shock deepening as he shouted, “2 High-Rank pills and 3 Mid-Rank pills!”
Wu Feng Hua hurriedly took the 5 pills from Yu Bo Yang upon hearing those words. Not only did he perform a similar examination of the pills, but he also used his fingernail to scrape off a bit of pill powder and place it in his mouth to taste. Only then did he exclaim, “There’s no problem with the medicinal efficacies.”
He turned to look at Yang Kai in shock. What he saw in front of him was simply astonishing!
Baili Yun Sang suppressed the excitement in his heart, and doing his best to lower his voice, he looked at Yang Kai and asked, “How did you do it?”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “This Disciple modified the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. I also used some different Alchemy Techniques at the same time.”
Wu Feng Hua nodded, “The pill recipe you used just now is certainly different from the one you used when you first joined the Sect. Many of the processes have been simplified and some of the techniques are new and unique. I’ve never seen such techniques before. With this improvement, you can indeed shorten the refinement time greatly, but that’s not all. You can even increase the number of pills formed and their quality! But… How did you come up with these improvements?”
The pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill that belonged to Profound Pill Sect had been modified and improved over countless generations. Furthermore, this was the pill recipe for a Heaven Grade pill, so only a Spirit Grade Alchemists had the qualifications to make improvements to it.
Baili Yun Sang himself had tried to make improvements to this pill recipe in the past. Unfortunately, his efforts proved to be unproductive and eventually he gave up after wasting 2 years for nothing.
Something that even Baili Yun Sang had failed to achieve had been accomplished by a Heaven Grade Alchemist who only joined the Sect 4 months ago. More importantly, the recipe was improved by a wide margin compared to the original!
That was simply not something that could be achieved by an ordinary man.
“This Disciple doesn’t know either!” Yang Kai cupped his fist and replied.
“You don’t know?” Yu Bo Yang glared at Yang Kai, “How can you not know? Aren’t you the one who improved this pill recipe?”
Yang Kai replied, “Reporting to, Third Elder, the pill recipe was indeed improved by this Disciple, but this Disciple does not know why the changes improved the pill recipe in this way. I just felt that making those changes during the Alchemy process would be better, so that’s what I did.”
Those words left Baili Yun Sang and the other two confused.
“It’s like this…” Yang Kai hurriedly brought out the explanation he prepared in advance, “This Disciple was fortunate enough to join Profound Pill Sect. When I first registered to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, I used the original pill recipe. Then, this Disciple faintly heard a strange voice inside a waking dream one night. The voice was intelligible and impossible to comprehend. This Disciple could not understand what the voice was saying at all, but when I woke up and refined the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill again, I instinctively made some changes to the recipe. Afterwards, the voice would appear in my dreams again every now and then. Every time the voice appeared, this Disciple gained something. As a result, this Disciple improved the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill over the past few months until it became what it currently is. I also somehow comprehended a few extraordinary Alchemy Techniques!”
This was the explanation Yang Kai prepared in advance. His current performance was rather bizarre, so he needed a valid reason to explain it.
Contrary to his expectations though, the 3 Elders looked shocked by his explanation.
Baili Yun Sang asked, “Did you say you faintly heard a strange voice?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded, “This Disciple suspected that this knowledge was imparted to me by Honoured Master when he taught me Alchemy in the past. It’s just that I was too young and could not remember much from that time, so I didn’t understand Honoured Master’s kind intentions. Maybe performing Alchemy again has jolted certain memories, leading to my recollection of various things from the past. That voice is probably the sound of Honoured Master earnestly teaching me.”
In any case, his fabricated Master was not in Profound Pill Sect, so Yang Kai decided to push all the responsibility unto him.
Baili Yun Sang slowly shook his head, “Your Honoured Master might be a talented genius, but even he cannot succeed to this extent. This matter is probably unrelated to him!”
Yang Kai was astonished, “How are you so sure, Sect Master?”
[If this matter is unrelated to my fabricated Master, then I really don’t have a suitable reason anymore…]
On the other hand, Baili Yun Sang seemed to no longer wish to dwell on this topic. He waved his hand dismissively and said, “You don’t need to ask too much. In any case, I’m certain this has nothing to do with him. The strange voice you heard… This Sect Master knows what it is.”
Yang Kai was a little flabbergasted as he thought, [How can you know? Even I don’t know what it is!]
Yu Bo Yang quickly asked, “Sect Master, do you suspect…”
Baili Yun Sang nodded solemnly, “There’s no other possibility aside from this explanation.”
Great Elder Wu Feng Hua stroked his beard and nodded lightly, “If that’s the case, then everything makes sense now. But, why would that happen?”
“It is the Will of the Heavens.” Baili Yun Sang sighed softly and turned to look at Yang Kai again, “Do you want to see the true body of this voice?”
“Sect Master!” Both Wu Feng Hua and Yu Bo Yang gave a start of surprise.
Baili Yun Sang, however, just waved his hand and declared, “He can even hear its voice, which can only mean that he has fate with it. Allowing him to come into contact with it might lead to further discoveries.”
Wu Feng Hua pondered for a while before he nodded, “You’re right, Sect Master.”
Yu Bo Yang looked at Yang Kai with a complicated expression, “Kid, you sure are lucky. This is a blessing that many people never encounter in their lives.”
Yang Kai was completely bewildered and asked, “Sect Master, that voice… actually exists?”
Baili Yun Sang burst out laughing, “You heard the voice yourself. Why are you asking me?”
Yang Kai didn’t know what else to say. He originally wanted to push everything onto his fabricated Master, but who could have known that he would create a connection with something else through a series of coincidences? Now that things had come to this point, Yang Kai felt he was riding a tiger and could not get off anymore. Thus, he could only nod in response, “I will follow your arrangements, Sect Master!”
Baili Yun Sang nodded in delight, “There’s no need to rush. Go back and rest for tonight. I will send somebody to get you tomorrow. On another note, there’s another thing that I want to ask you.”
“Please ask, Sect Master.”
And so he inquired, “Where did you obtain the Alchemy Flame you used just now?”
Yang Kai replied, “This Disciple obtained this Alchemy Flame from the Divine Flame Cave a few months ago, but this Disciple does not know what kind of Alchemy Flame it is. Could it be that you know, Sect Master?”
Baili Yun Sang revealed a look of affirmation. He had a guess when he first saw the white flame and this was simply confirming his initial conjecture. After sorting out his thoughts, he said, “It might be an Alchemy Flame that I know. But, whether it is or not will need to be verified.” While saying so, he instructed Yang Kai, “Bring out that Alchemy Flame of yours.”
Yang Kai immediately pushed his Spirit Qi to manifest his Alchemy Flame. In the next instant, the white flame danced in the palm of his hands, looking extremely gentle.
Baili Yun Sang stared at the white flame and slowly reached out his hand towards Yang Kai. At the same time, a golden flame suddenly appeared in his palm.
The golden flame that danced wildly was extremely pure and scorching hot. One could tell that it was a Spirit Grade Alchemy Flame at a glance, one that was of a much higher grade compared to the white flame in Yang Kai’s hands.
However, as Baili Yun Sang moved his hand closer, the golden Alchemy Flame began to flicker. On the other hand, the white flame in Yang Kai’s hand remained steady. This phenomenon became increasingly obvious as the distance between them shortened.
At a certain point, the golden flame abruptly shrank into a ball on its own and retreated to Baili Yun Sang’s wrist. It was as though the golden Alchemy Flame had spirituality and could sense a great danger ahead.
Baili Yun Sang withdrew his Alchemy Flame and breathed out softly, “It really is that Alchemy Flame!”
Both Wu Feng Hua and Yu Bo Yang were staring at Yang Kai with a complicated expressions. It was obvious that they understood what just happened.
“Put it away!” Baili Yun Sang ordered.
Only then did Yang Kai put away the Alchemy Flame and humbly asked, “Sect Master, what exactly is this white flame? This Disciple searched through the Records Hall but could not find any relevant entries regarding it at all.”
Half a day later, Yang Kai returned to his cave mansion. In the end, he still did not learn anything about his white flame.
Sect Master Baili Yun Sang and the two Elders definitely knew something, but they were clearly hesitating to answer his questions. Perhaps they were worried that Yang Kai was too young and inexperienced to learn the truth.
In any case, they did not tell him much. They simply explained that the white flame was not an ordinary Alchemy Flame and could not be classified using the standard Mortal, Earth, Heaven, and Spirit Grades. Moreover, the white flame supposedly had a very long history.
They also warned him to use the Alchemy Flame with caution and pay attention to any changes in case anything went wrong.
Their attitude towards the white flame was very odd. It was a mixture of longing, wariness, and awe.
Since they refused to say anything, Yang Kai did not inquire any further. His questions would not be answered anyway. At the moment, he was more concerned about the voice that he randomly mentioned…
He initially wanted to push all the responsibility on his fake Master, but who could have known that the ‘voice’ would actually exist?
At this point, Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He could not shake the feeling that he shared an inexplicable fate with Profound Pill Sect.
Back then, he randomly came up with a fabricated Master only for Gao Xin Peng to misunderstand the situation and ultimately introduce him into Profound Pill Sect. And now, the random voice he created turned out to be connected to some sort of grand existence.
Judging by the attitudes of Baili Yun Sang and the two Elders, the true body that produced the voice was likely an extraordinary object indeed.
What’s more, at present, there was certainly something absolutely incredible in Profound Pill Sect! Yang Kai had a slight guess in his heart, so he couldn’t help looking forward to the experience.
The next day, the one-eyed old man in the Spirit Realm, who had come previously, arrived outside the Fixed Moon Peak cave mansion once more. As soon as he saw Yang Kai, he immediately pushed his Spirit Qi, wrapped Yang Kai in it, and took to the sky.
By the time they landed, they had arrived in a quiet valley where an old man stood in front of them. It was Profound Pill Sect’s Sect Master, Baili Yun Sang. However, he was alone this time. The two other Elders from yesterday were nowhere to be seen.
Yang Kai stepped forward in greeting.
Baili Yun Sang nodded, “Come with me.”
After saying so, Baili Yun Sang took the lead and Yang Kai quickly followed closely behind. As they moved forward, they passed through multiple checkpoints and barriers.
Along the way, Yang Kai sensed countless Spirit Realm Masters hidden in the shadows all around them, all of them vigilantly scanning the surroundings. The perception of these Spirit Realm Masters locked firmly on his body when he walked past them with Baili Yun Sang, making Yang Kai feel as though he was being pricked by thorns.
“This is the Restricted Area of Profound Pill Sect. Only this Sect Master and a few other Elders are allowed to enter this place. Anybody else who wishes to enter this place will need to spend a large amount of contribution points to gain access. In addition, they will need to pass an inspection to ensure that they are absolutely loyal to Profound Pill Sect before they are allowed to enter.” Baili Yun Sang explained while moving forward, “Do you feel anything?”
Baili Yun Sang’s question came out of nowhere. Yang Kai shook his head in response, “Reporting to Sect Master, I don’t feel anything in particular.”
Baili Yun Sang was not bothered by the answer he received and simply continued moving forward.
A short while later, Yang Kai sensed that he had followed Baili Yun Sang into the belly of a mountain. His vision suddenly brightened when he reached this place. There was a large cavern in the heart of the mountain, and the cavern was filled with a gentle light that illuminated the whole place.
Yang Kai’s gaze was instantly drawn towards an object in front of him.
Not far away was a structure shaped like an altar, and an antique four-legged cauldron sat atop it. The cauldron was approximately half the height of a man and it could be seen at a glance that it was extremely old. There were clear traces caused by the passage of time covering the entire cauldron.
The cauldron was also filled with a dense white fog which flowed out gently, like a trickling stream of water, filling the entire space with a strange power. Under the effects of this strange power, Yang Kai felt his mind becoming calm and peaceful. Even his Soul reached an unprecedented point of clarity.
At this moment, Yang Kai felt a stroke of inspiration and suddenly straightened his finger like a sword and turned around to face the cave wall. Activating his Spirit Qi, he began scribbling something on the wall.
Baili Yun Sang was startled by Yang Kai’s abrupt actions. He did not know what kind of frenzy had come over this boy, but just as he was about to stop him, his expression changed slightly. He seemed to realise something and hurriedly fell silent while paying close attention to Yang Kai’s movements instead.
A rustling and scraping sound filled the air. This place might be a Restricted Area, but the large cauldron was the only item of value in this place. The other caverns and altars simply contained normal objects. Thanks to Yang Kai’s actions, row after row of densely-packed words appeared on the cave wall. In exchange, a thick layer of dust quickly settled around his feet.
The entire process continued for half an incense stick’s worth of time. Then, he suddenly groaned and clutched at his head. His strange movements from before stopped abruptly.
Baili Yun Sang walked over to Yang Kai’s side and stared at the words written on the cave wall with glowing eyes. His expression was filled with pure excitement, and he murmured under his breath, “Incredible! How incredible!”
“Sect Master…” Yang Kai shook his head slightly before he turned around and called out.
“Oh! Are you all right?” Only then did Baili Yun Sang remember to check on Yang Kai’s condition.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m fine. Sect Master, what… What happened?”
Baili Yun Sang smiled at Yang Kai, “Don’t you remember what you did?”
Yang Kai stared at the words carved on the cave wall and dazedly said, “I’m not too sure myself. It was as if something suddenly exploded in my head and I received this knowledge for some reason. I was afraid I might forget, so I quickly wrote it down. If I made a mistake, please punish me, Sect Master!”
“You did well. You didn’t make any mistakes. You did extremely well!” Baili Yun Sang looked at Yang Kai emotionally before he turned back to look at the wall, “This is a pill recipe. Do you know what pill recipe this is for?”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, “It should be the pill recipe for something called the Mortal Yuan Pill. This pill will be extremely beneficial towards those in the Mortal Realm once refined.” After saying that, he seemed shocked, “That’s strange. Why would I know this? I’ve never learned this pill recipe before…”
Baili Yun Sang patted Yang Kai on the shoulder, “Don’t panic. This is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it is a blessing! As for why you know this… Think carefully about what happened just now.”
Yang Kai put on a thoughtful expression. A moment later, he replied, “After following Sect Master here, I saw the large cauldron over there and subsequently heard a bang in my head. Then… Could it be that all of this is related to that explosion?”
Baili Yun Sang said, “This Old Master did not hear any explosions. I don’t know what it sounded like either. Think about it carefully; have you ever heard that sound anywhere else before?”
Yang Kai was pensive, “It’s similar to the voice I heard back at Fixed Moon Peak, but much louder and clearer!”
“En,” Baili Yun Sang nodded and pointed to the large cauldron, “That is the source of the voice you heard earlier!”
Yang Kai looked in that direction and asked puzzledly, “Sect Master, what is that cauldron?”
“That cauldron…” Baili Yun Sang’s expression turned solemn and he bowed deeply to the large cauldron quickly explaining, “That is one of the Ten Great Divine Armaments, the Medicine King Furnace!”
Yang Kai was shocked, “This is the Medicine King Furnace!?”
“Indeed!” Baili Yun Sang nodded.
“Unbelievable!” Yang Kai stared at the Medicine King Furnace blankly, “I thought…”
“Thought what? That the Divine Armaments should be sparkling and radiant?” Baili Yun Sang chuckled, “Each of the Ten Great Divine Armaments represents a Grand Dao of this World. They might not have a gorgeous appearance, but they are undoubtedly the most valuable objects in the Divine Armament World.”
“This Disciple has been enlightened!”
Looking at the Medicine King Furnace, Baili Yun Sang sighed slightly, “Do you know why this Old Master brought you here?”
Yang Kai shook his head.
“Logically speaking, a Heaven Grade Alchemist like you who recently joined the Sect would never obtain the qualifications to come into contact with the Medicine King Furnace. Just as this Old Master told you earlier, this place is Profound Pill Sect’s Restricted Area. Only this Old Master and several Elders are allowed to step into this place. Aside from that, other disciples not only have to spend a large amount of contribution points but also show absolute loyalty to the Sect in order to enter this place and explore its mysteries.”
“Mysteries?” Yang Kai keenly grasped onto the key point.
Baili Yun Sang nodded his head with a solemn expression, “Yes, mysteries. The mysteries of the Grand Alchemic Dao. Each of the Ten Great Divine Armaments represents a Grand Dao of this World, and the Medicine King Furnace represents the Alchemic Dao! There are countless Alchemic Dao Truths contained within the Medicine King Furnace. If you can glimpse just one of the mysteries within, you will benefit endlessly throughout your life.”
Pausing for a moment, he smiled at Yang Kai, “That faint voice you heard is the Medicine King Furnace’s Grand Dao Divine Tone! This Old Master will hear that voice occasionally, but it has always been vague and indistinct. I’ve never received as much benefit as you have.”
Yang Kai looked stunned, “So you’re saying that I managed to improve the pill recipe of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill thanks to the Medicine King Furnace, and not because my memories of being taught by Honoured Master had resurfaced… And, that pill recipe for the Mortal Yuan Pill…”
“En!” Baili Yun Sang stroked his beard and looked at Yang Kai in delight, “Your residence on Fixed Moon Peak is quite far from here. Not to mention, there are various defences in place to protect this area. Nevertheless, that did not stop you from hearing the Medicine King Furnace’s Grand Dao Divine Tone. That must mean that you have a connection with the Medicine King Furnace. For that reason, this Old Master made an exception to bring you here. Judging from the situation, it was a wise move. You immediately received the teachings of the Medicine King Furnace and obtained the pill recipe for the Mortal Yuan Pills as soon as you arrived. If you stay here for the long term, your harvest will only be even greater!”
Yang Kai was taken aback by those words, but rather than happiness, he felt dread, [If I stay here for the long-term, then won’t I just be wasting my time here!?]
When he saw the Medicine King Furnace earlier, he confirmed his previous speculation. Baili Yun Sang and the others believed that the voice he randomly made up yesterday was related to the Medicine King Furnace. It was just that he never imagined things would coincidentally fall into place so perfectly.
Baili Yun Sang was apparently also capable of hearing the Medicine King Furnace’s Grand Dao Divine Tone. It was just that the voice he heard was rather ethereal, so he did not benefit much from it.
But, the mysterious voice really existed.
That was why Yang Kai immediately pretended to feel a headache and write down the pill recipe for the Mortal Yuan Pill when he caught sight of the Medicine King Furnace… Having mastered countless pill recipes, producing a pill recipe that did not exist in the Divine Armament World was very easy for him. The Mortal Yuan Pill was simply more nonsense that he created.
“Although I don’t know the reason why, this is Heaven’s Will. I can only obey. From today onward, you will live here and comprehend the secrets of the Medicine King Furnace. Don’t worry about the affairs regarding the Seeking Pill Pavilion. This Old Master will help you make arrangements!”
If it was said that Baili Yun Sang had some doubts about Yang Kai’s explanation yesterday, then it could be said that his doubts immediately vanished after seeing the pill recipe for the Mortal Yuan Pill. How could Yang Kai have comprehended a pill recipe out of nowhere if not for the teachings of the Medicine King Furnace’s Grand Dao Divine Tone? Even if it was only a pill recipe for a Mortal Grade pill, it was not something that could be created on the spot. It would take a considerable amount of time and countless Alchemy experiments to create even the simplest of pill recipes.
Baili Yun Sang himself was one of the best Alchemists in the Divine Armament World, but even with his knowledge and experience, he had never seen or heard of the Mortal Yuan Pill before. It could only be said that the Divine Armament had shown its prestige and passed down its legacy to its disciples.
Seeing as Yang Kai received such a huge reward the moment he came here, his gains would only be greater if he could stay here for a longer period. That was extremely beneficial to Profound Pill Sect.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was secretly cursing in his heart, [Damn it! Where will I find cultivation resources if I get trapped in here for a long time!?]
Providing Alchemy services at the Seeking Pill Pavilion was his biggest means for gathering resources at the moment. If he could no longer guarantee even that, then his cultivation would surely progress very slowly. There was no saying when he would finally advance into the Spirit Realm at this rate. Besides, he had too many secrets and there was a huge risk of exposure if he stayed here for a long time.
Nevertheless, he could not deny having a great interest in the Medicine King Furnace. If he guessed correctly, then the Ten Great Divine Armaments were the manifestation of the Divine Armament World’s World Force. The reason he came here was to refine part of the Small Source World’s Source Strength, thereby enhancing the heritage of his Small Universe.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, he quickly said, “I can’t, Sect Master.”
Baili Yun Sang frowned and asked, “Why not? Do you feel that your freedom is being restricted in coming here? If that’s the case, you don’t need to worry too much. From today onward, you will have free access to this Restricted Area. This Old Master will also issue an order to inform the guards outside about this matter. You should know that this is a monumental opportunity for you.”
“This Disciple is grateful for your kindness, Sect Master.” Yang Kai cupped his fist solemnly, “Truthfully, Sect Master, even though this Disciple obtained the pill recipe for the Mortal Yuan Pill after that voice exploded in my head earlier, this Disciple feels as though my head is about to split apart right now. There are stars dancing in my vision and I have the feeling that something extremely bad will happen if I continue to stay here.”
Baili Yun Sang was stunned when he heard the words. Although he could hear the Medicine King Furnace’s voice, what he heard was like a vague whisper. As such, he could not determine whether Yang Kai was speaking the truth; however, looking at Yang Kai’s pale complexion and excessive sweating, those words did not seem to be fake. He contemplated for a short while before he nodded, “Perhaps this Old Master has been too eager for quick success. The Medicine King Furnace is a Divine Object, so with your cultivation, it is certainly not something you can come into contact with for extended periods of time.”
After pondering for some time, he finally added, “In that case, this Old Master will give you the right to freely access the Restricted Area. You can come and listen to the Medicine King Furnace’s Grand Dao Divine Tone whenever you think it is suitable. If you obtain any gains from your experience, organise your findings and hand them to this Old Master.”
“I will obey your orders, Sect Master!” Yang Kai hurriedly cupped his fist. This outcome was undoubtedly the best he could hope for. He could come and go as he pleased; thus, it would not prevent him from providing Alchemy services at the Seeking Pill Pavilion.
“Rest assured. Your contribution to the Main Sect will not go unrewarded. This Old Master will ask the Contribution Hall to evaluate every single harvest that you obtain in this place and reward you with the corresponding contribution points. Although you only joined the Sect recently, I’m sure you know that having more contribution points is a good thing. You can exchange for anything that you want with those contribution points.”
“This Disciple understands. Many thanks for your great benevolence, Sect Master,” Yang Kai looked calm on the surface, but he was dancing with joy in his heart. The problem regarding his contribution points had been solved. Having countless pill recipes in his head, he could just randomly pick one from his repertoire and earn massive amounts of contribution points.
“Let’s end things here today. If you feel unwell, you should go back and take a good rest. Also, don’t forget to organise and hand over the improved pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill as well as some of the Alchemy Techniques that you displayed yesterday.”
“Yes!”
Not long after their return from the Restricted Area, the one-eyed old man came over once more. This time around, he handed a golden token to Yang Kai. There was a large ‘Profound’ character carved on the token! Yang Kai had seen this token yesterday as Great Elder Wu Feng Hua and Third Elder Yu Bo Yang both carried similar ones.
The old man had a strange expression on his face when he handed the token to Yang Kai. It was obviously his first time seeing a Heaven Grade Alchemist receiving an Elder’s token. Be that as it may, he had always been a taciturn man so he did not ask a single question despite his curiosity.
With this token, Yang Kai was free to come and go from the Restricted Area as he pleased. Although he wanted to examine the Medicine King Furnace as soon as possible, he felt that it was best not to act too eager so as not to reveal any mistakes.
In the following days, in addition to providing Alchemy services to cultivation resources, Yang Kai also sorted out the improved pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill and some of the Alchemy Techniques that he displayed previously. Then, he went to Profound Pill Sect’s Contribution Hall to turn these things over to the Sect.
It was obvious that the people at the Contribution Hall had received the news in advance. One of the Elders in charge of the Contribution Hall personally examined the things that Yang Kai brought, and not only was he full of praise, he also awarded Yang Kai with a large amount of contribution points.
The number of contribution points awarded was so large that even Yang Kai was pleasantly surprised. If this happened another two more times, he would have enough contribution points to exchange for the pill recipe for the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
A few more days later, Yang Kai finally felt that the time was right and rushed towards the Restricted Area once more. After hanging the golden Profound Token on his waist, he had a smooth journey with no obstacles. There were many layers of protection in the Restricted Area, but nobody blocked his path.
He soon arrived at the deepest part of the Restricted Area and came face-to-face with the Medicine King Furnace placed on the altar again. Just like last time, the Medicine King Furnace was overflowing with a white fog that was so dense it was almost solid. That white fog filled the entire space with a wonderful power of serenity and peace.
Looking left and right, Yang Kai was overjoyed to see that there was nobody around him. The last time Baili Yun Sang brought him here, he had not been in the position to investigate this place. Now that he was the only person here today, it was only natural that he took the time to study the truth of the Medicine King Furnace.
Striding to the top of the altar, Yang Kai circled around the Medicine King Furnace several times and discovered that there was nothing special about this object from the outside. [Is this really worthy of the reputation of the Ten Great Divine Armaments? Are the other nine Divine Armaments as bland in appearance?]
Be that as it may, what Baili Yun Sang said was true. The Divine Armaments might not have a gorgeous appearance, but they were the most precious objects in the world as each one of them represented a Grand Dao.
The Medicine King Furnace was covered in intricate patterns, and as Yang Kai examined the patterns, he suddenly had a realization. The patterns did not seem to be static but instead changed constantly like living beings when he was concentrating. Moreover, he vaguely discovered a mystery amidst the changing patterns.
It looked like Baili Yun Sang’s statement was correct. The Medicine King Furnace certainly contained the mysteries of the Alchemic Dao in the Divine Armament World. If a person could understand the mysteries hidden within the ever-changing and flowing patterns, there would surely be an immeasurable effect on the improvement of their Alchemic Dao.
Yang Kai could not be bothered to investigate these patterns though, as no matter how amazing the Medicine King Furnace was, it only represented the Alchemic Dao of the Small Source World which was not beneficial to him. What he cared about was the Medicine King Furnace itself.
Taking a deep breath, he stretched out his hand and placed it on the Medicine King Furnace.
In the next moment, a rumbling sound rang out in his mind like the tolling of a morning bell. Yang Kai immediately felt his Soul shaking uncontrollably, threatening to split his head apart from the pain. Unable to stop himself, he howled in pain. His entire body twitched uncontrollably and even his hand that was pressed on top of the Medicine King Furnace clenched tightly.
It took quite a while before he slowly calmed down once more. Even so, the buzzing sound in his head continued endlessly. His entire Soul shook so strongly that he was unable to concentrate as a result.
This experience gave him the feeling that the Medicine King Furnace was resisting his touch and instinctively rejecting him.
After pondering for some time, Yang Kai had a vague feeling that this phenomenon was related to his origins. He was a veritable outsider to this world; meanwhile, the Medicine King Furnace represented one of the Grand Daos of this world. It was only natural that it would reject and resist him.
Nevertheless, this brief contact allowed him to confirm that the Medicine King Furnace did indeed contain an aura of Source Strength. It would seem that his initial speculation when he first entered this world was not wrong. In order to refine the Source Strength of the Divine Armament World, he would have to begin with the Ten Great Divine Armaments, as they were the physical manifestations of the Divine Armament World’s World Force.
Yang Kai originally thought that he would have to wait 100 years until the next Divine Armament Tournament to come into contact with the Ten Great Divine Armaments. Who could have known that the opportunity would come so suddenly?
Under these circumstances, Yang Kai’s first instinct was to surge his Spirit Qi in an attempt to refine the Medicine King Furnace. As long as he could refine the Medicine King Furnace, it would be equivalent to obtaining 10% of the Divine Armament World’s Source Strength. The World Force would then become the capital to enhance and strengthen his own Small Universe once he exited the Divine Armament World.
More importantly, he would not suffer any hidden dangers thanks to his existence and efforts in the Divine Armament World. The World Force was extremely compatible with him.
This was one of the cultivation shortcuts for Open Heaven Realm Masters that Xu Ling Gong mentioned at the beginning!
Yang Kai’s Spirit Qi surged, pouring into the Medicine King Furnace at a steady rate; however, the effects were minimal at best. He could sense that the Medicine King Furnace was absorbing his Spirit Qi, but the consumption rate was absurdly high. Clearly, refining this Divine Armament was not something that could be done overnight.
In less than half an incense stick’s worth of time, Yang Kai’s Spirit Qi was nearly exhausted. It had to be said that he had spent countless resources on his cultivation; as such, the Spirit Qi stored in his body was extremely terrifying compared to others in the same Realm. Nobody in the Fifth-Step Heaven Realm Master could compare to him, while even those at the peak of the Heaven Realm were not on the same level. Be that as it may, Yang Kai was practically a lamp running out of oil after such a short period of time.
[It looks like I will have to slowly figure out another method to refine the Medicine King Furnace! Fortunately, I can freely access this place now. The future is still far ahead.] When that thought crossed his mind, a sharp voice entered his ears, “What are you doing?”
Yang Kai turned to look in the direction the voice came from where he saw a woman dressed in an imperial dress glaring at him coldly. This woman had quite a beautiful appearance. She looked like she was only in her early thirties and her body had enticing curves. Her beautiful hair was pulled up behind her head in a dignified bun.
Despite never meeting this person before, Yang Kai keenly caught sight of the golden token hanging by her waist. Thus, he quickly withdrew his hands and took several deep breaths before he cupped his fist in greeting, “Fixed Moon Peak’s Yang Kai greets Martial Aunt!”
“Yang Kai?” The woman’s pretty brow furrowed together tightly before the realisation struck her a moment later, “You’re that disciple who joined the Sect recently!”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded seriously.
Looking him up and down, her gaze paused on the golden token on his waist for a moment and she snorted softly, “The Sect Master sure thinks highly of you. He even went so far as to issue you an Elder Token.” She beckoned towards him once more, “Come down so we can speak.”
Yang Kai obediently leaped down and stood before her respectfully. Seeing as this woman also had an Elder Token on her, she was definitely one of Profound Pill Sect’s Elders. In addition to being Spirit Grade Alchemists, all the Elders of Profound Pill Sect were also Spirit Realm Masters.
She glared at him, “What were you doing up there?”
Yang Kai casually came up with an excuse, “The Sect Master ordered me to come and comprehend the mysteries of the Medicine King Furnace whenever I have the time. This Disciple wondered if it would be easier to learn something if I stood closer to the Divine Armament. That’s why I went up there. If there’s anything wrong with my actions, please punish me, Martial Aunt.”
She angrily snapped, “The ignorant are truly fearless! How could you dare to touch the Divine Armament at will!? You’re lucky I found you early! If I were any later, I would be collecting your corpse instead!”
He was shocked, “Was it that serious?”
The female Elder nodded, “The Ten Great Divine Armaments represent part of this World’s Grand Dao. Ever since ancient times, those who obtained the Divine Armaments were those with great destiny and immense opportunities. It is not something just anybody can touch as they please.”
Although Yang Kai felt that the situation was not as serious as she made it seem, he pretended to be overwhelmed by the situation, “Many thanks for your warning, Martial Aunt!”
Her expression relaxed slightly. She then glanced at him with another measuring look, “So, did you realise anything just now?”
“I believe so, but it’s very vague. I will need more time to sort through and comprehend it.”
She gently nodded, “I’ve heard about you. Since you have a connection with the Medicine King Furnace, then don’t disappoint the Sect Master’s expectations of you. But, never forget this, don’t act rashly and overreach yourself for the sake of greed; otherwise, nobody can save you if something goes wrong.”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded firmly, though he couldn’t help feeling strange. This woman seemed rather concerned about him, but he was uncertain if it was just a figment of his imagination, so he offhandedly asked, “Did you come here to comprehend the mysteries of the Medicine King Furnace too, Martial Aunt?”
She let out a soft sigh, her well-rounded peaks heaving up and down slightly, “That’s right. Old people like myself come here every once in a while to see if we can receive any inspiration from this place. If a Spirit Grade Alchemist wants to exceed their current limits… Well, it won’t be so easy. It’s a pity that we old folk are so useless. On the other hand, a young boy like you can see through some of the mysteries here. It’s truly surprising.”
“This Disciple simply had a stroke of fortune. Besides, you are not old, Martial Aunt. You are clearly in the prime of your life.”
The woman glanced at him in surprise before bursting into a peal of laughter, causing flowers to tremble before her beauty. After a while, she finally stopped laughing and snorted softly, “You’re as glib-tongued as that old ghost! No wonder he took you in as a Disciple! Let me ask you this, is that old ghost doing well?”
Yang Kai was confused for a moment; then, he realised that the person she mentioned was referring to his fabricated Master. Looking at her expression and listening to the tone of her voice, this woman seemed to have some kind of deeper relationship with his fake Master. Now, he understood why she seemed concerned over him.
“When Honoured Master taught this Disciple, this Disciple was very young. I don’t remember much from back then, but Honoured Master was quite healthy at the time. Especially when this Disciple made a mistake. He was very strong when spanking this Disciple’s bottom!”
The woman was taken aback for a moment before she laughed happily, “His temper certainly leaves much to be desired, but his vision seems to be as far-sighted as always. You were still young at the time, so it’s only natural for him to spank you when you didn’t reach his standards. I’m sure he will be very proud if he learns about your current achievements.”
After that, she asked him a few more questions, to which Yang Kai either came up with more nonsense or simply claimed that he no longer remembered, so as to not reveal any flaws. Nevertheless, the woman listened with relish no matter how trivial the matter was. A long while passed before she waved her hand to dismiss him, “It looks like you’re tired. You should go back and get some rest. If you run into any trouble, you can come and visit me at Qian Luo Peak. I usually live there.”
“Many thanks, Martial Aunt! This Disciple will take his leave!”
Upon returning to the Fixed Moon Peak, Yang Kai went to Yang Huai and inquired about the circumstances. Only then did he learn that the Peak Master of Qian Luo Peak was an Elder known as Lan Yin. That was probably the woman he encountered in the Restricted Area earlier.
Yang Kai initially wanted to inquire more about his Master, but unfortunately, Yang Huai had lived in the Blood Warrior Hall since he was a child so he only knew about the existence of this person in Profound Pill Sect, but didn’t know much else, so there was nothing that he could tell Yang Kai.
In reality, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Yang Kai had begun to search for more information about his supposed Master ever since he joined Profound Pill Sect. He had joined Profound Pill Sect as that person’s Legacy Disciple after all, so it would not hurt to learn as much as he could about this person. Unexpectedly, there were no records about him in the Records Hall. Seeing as he could not inquire too much from the others lest he exposed his lies, Yang Kai had failed to learn much about his Master so far.
The days that followed were uneventful. Yang Kai provided Alchemy services at the Seeking Pill Pavilion to earn the necessary cultivation resources for himself. At the same time, he travelled to the Restricted Area and back in an attempt to refine the Medicine King Furnace.
He did not know if anybody else in Profound Pill Sect had attempted to refine the Divine Armament before, but he was quite certain that there were precedents; after all, who would not be tempted when the Divine Object was just sitting in the Restricted Area?
It was more likely that Sect Master Baili Yun Sang and the other Elders had tried to refine the Medicine King Furnace only to fail in their attempts. That was because he did not sense any traces left behind by the others from the Medicine King Furnace. On the contrary, Yang Kai made some progress every time he went there. Refining the Medicine King Furnace was a long-term process and was by no means something that could be achieved in a short period of time.
With the consumption of substantial resources, Yang Kai’s cultivation increased steadily.
In addition, he also came up with some pill recipes and Alchemy Techniques that did not belong to the Divine Armament World. Each time that happened, he would receive a considerable number of contribution points. Moreover, the Elders of Profound Pill Sect would research the things that he brought up with great fascination.
Yang Kai had already redeemed the pill recipe for the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill and his cultivation had slowly advanced into the Ninth-Step Heaven Realm. It would not take long before he was ready to advance into the Spirit Realm. He had no plans to refine the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill for himself though. With so many contribution points in his possession, he could spend them to exchange for a Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill from Profound Pill Sect instead and save himself some time and effort.
At this point, it had only been less than two years since he entered Profound Pill Sect. The Heaven Devouring Battle Law was as horrifying as it was impressive. If he had not chosen to cultivate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law in the Divine Armament World back then, he could not have experienced such an explosive growth in such a short period of time. This Heaven-defying Evil Art had greatly shortened his cultivation time. Unfortunately, the drawbacks of this Evil Art were also gradually revealing themselves.
Yang Kai was now in the Ninth-Step Heaven Realm, just one step away from advancing into the Spirit Realm. At the same time, the strength of his Dragon Vein had been tremendously stimulated and his physique was unbelievably strong.
In the beginning, Yang Kai believed that his Dragon Vein could offset many of the hidden dangers brought about by cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, and that was indeed the case in the early stages of his cultivation. He had not sensed anything wrong at the time, so he confidently and eagerly cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. However, as time went on and his cultivation increased, his Dragon Vein was no longer able to keep up with the purification Yang Kai required.
He could now sense that the impurities in the energy that he devoured during cultivation were subtly affecting his body and mind. The most obvious sign was that his temperament had become a little more irritable than before. He would occasionally experience random temper flare-ups without any particular reason.
This was not a good sign. It had to be said that one must be aware and wary of arrogance and impatience in cultivation. If his mind became disturbed at a critical moment, there was a high possibility of suffering from cultivation dissonance.
Unfortunately, things had already come to this point and Yang Kai had no solution to the problem, so he could only stop cultivating for the time being and slowly stimulate the power of his Dragon Vein in an attempt to gradually suppress the drawbacks brought about by the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
Thanks to this experience though, Yang Kai became certain that the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was not something that could be cultivated freely. The hidden dangers that the Heaven Devouring Battle Law brought were unavoidable, no matter how much he guarded against them.
It was fortunate that he noticed this situation early on. Only a few years had passed since Yang Kai entered the Divine Armament World, so he still had plenty of time before the next Divine Armament Tournament. Besides, he was not using his actual body here, so even if he suffered from any hidden dangers, these side effects would not affect him once he left.
Due to his given task of comprehending the mysteries of the Medicine King Furnace, Yang Kai had a good excuse to explain why his cultivation was improving so quickly. Among the pill recipes that he contributed, some pills were able to assist in cultivation and some pills could even directly enhance one’s cultivation. These pill recipes were quickly implemented in the Blood Warrior Hall, and their efficacies were swiftly verified. As long as one had these pills and enough cultivation resources, it would not be difficult for them to increase their cultivation.
Nevertheless, nobody paid too much attention to Yang Kai’s cultivation so far. For an Alchemist, cultivation was only an auxiliary to support their Alchemy, it was not their main focus.
Time flew by, and another year passed.
Over the past year, Yang Kai’s cultivation did not increase any further. He remained at the Ninth-Step Heaven Realm. Having noticed the drawbacks of cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, he had been working hard to stimulate his Dragon Vein to help eliminate the hidden dangers.
Despite all his efforts, however, some of the subtle hidden dangers caused by the Heaven Devouring Battle Law remained, despite his Dragon Vein having been significantly strengthened during this time. Those little hidden dangers were like gangrene that festered in his body and he could not remove them no matter how deeply he dug into their roots. Thus, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling helpless. The might of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was also reflected in this situation, highlighting its immense strength in another aspect.
Yang Kai could not understand how Wu Kuang had managed to cultivate this Secret Art. Logically speaking, Wu Kuang should have lost his mind a long time ago. More so since his cultivation grew to such a level with the Heaven Devouring Battle Law as his foundation. Despite what should have happened though, Wu Kuang was alive and kicking. That was not all; he had even managed to infiltrate Myriad Demons Heaven!
Just thinking about it was unbelievable; hence, Yang Kai could only admire that guy’s talent and genius.
On the other hand, both Hua Rong and Yang Huai had grown tremendously!
There was nothing much to be said about Hua Rong. She was already in the Sixth-Step Heaven Realm when she first started serving under Yang Kai. Having her cultivation at such a young age meant that her aptitude was outstanding in the first place, and after serving under Yang Kai, she received an almost unlimited supply of various cultivation resources and pills. Thus, she advanced to become a genuine Spirit Realm Master half a year ago.
Yang Huai might have started out on a lower footing, but he was very compatible with the Supreme Tyrant Body Art that Yang Kai taught him. Over the years, he also reached the Ninth-Step Heaven Realm, so like Yang Kai, he could advance into the Spirit Realm at any moment. It was just that Yang Kai did not allow him to advance so quickly. Yang Kai wanted him to train and hone his strength in the Heaven Realm for a little longer in order to solidify his foundation before attempting to break through.
The days at Profound Pill Sect were extremely comfortable and leisurely. Every now and then, Yang Kai would perform Alchemy to obtain large quantities of cultivation resources. Nevertheless, most of his time was spent immersed in refining the Medicine King Furnace.
One day, Yang Huai suddenly walked in and cupped his fist with a solemn expression when Yang Kai was teaching Wan Ying Ying. Yang Kai continued teaching a little bit more before he raised his head to look at Yang Huai, “What is it?”
Yang Huai replied, “Sir, a message came from the Seeking Pill Pavilion. There’s a person called Li Zheng Qing who came looking for you with something to report!”
“Li Zheng Qing?” Yang Kai raised his brow at the name, “What did he say?”
Yang Huai shook his head, “He did not say, but it seems to be urgent.”
“Bring him here,” Yang Kai instructed.
“Yes!” Yang Huai responded and hurried away again.
Wan Ying Ying asked worriedly, “Eldest Senior Brother, did something happen back at the Master Sect?”
Li Zheng Qing’s sudden arrival from Void Spirit Sword Sect had made her a little uneasy. She couldn’t help wondering if something had happened back at their home.
“I don’t think so,” Yang Kai shook his head. Although he had remained at Profound Pill Sect for several years, his contact with the Master Sect had never been interrupted. They basically exchanged letters with each other every two months. The last letter from the Master Sect had only been one month ago, so if anything had happened, Su Chang Fa would have notified him.
Besides, he was now a well-known Heaven Grade Alchemist. With Yang Kai protecting Void Spirit Sword Sect, not many people in the Divine Armament World would dare to offend them.
“Don’t worry. It’s probably nothing. Maybe Honoured Master has something to tell us,” Yang Kai reassured her while stroking her head.
She made a non-committal sound in response and stood quietly by the side.
Despite reassuring Wan Ying Ying otherwise, Yang Kai had the vague feeling that something had indeed happened to the Master Sect; otherwise, there was no need for Li Zheng Qing to come running here in person.
It didn’t take long before Li Zheng Qing was led inside by Yang Huai. Even though they had not met for several years, this old man had not gotten any older. Rather, he seemed to have gotten much younger. He had only been in the Earth Realm back then, but he was now in the Heaven Realm; moreover, he was in the Second-Step Heaven Realm! It was just that he seemed a little dusty and dishevelled from his long-distance travel.
“Li Zheng Qing greets Sir!” Li Zheng Qing greeted Yang Kai respectfully.
Yang Kai nodded, “Why have you come?”
Li Zheng Qing looked solemn, “Reporting to Sir, the Former Sect Master suddenly fell ill half a month ago. The two Elders sent this Old Master here to invite you back to have a look, Sir.”
“What!?” Wan Ying Ying jumped up at those words and nervously exclaimed, “Honoured Master is ill!?”
Similarly, Yang Kai’s expression became grim, “Why did this happen?”
Li Zheng Qing bowed his head and replied, “The two Elders claimed that the Former Sect Master is old and frail, and the sudden decline of his vitality seems to be related to the injuries he sustained when he was younger.”
Wan Ying Ying quickly asked, “How was Honoured Master when you departed?”
Li Zheng Qing quickly answered the question, “He was unconscious. His situation was not good, but he should not be in danger for the time being. Be that as it may, it took this Old Master half a month to travel here, so I don’t know how he is now.”
“Eldest Senior Brother…” On the verge of tears, Wan Ying Ying turned to look at Yang Kai.
“Don’t panic!” Yang Kai reflexively comforted her. After pondering for some time, he continued, “Wait here for a moment. I will report this matter to the Elder Council and return to the Master Sect immediately!” Turning his head to the side, he instructed Yang Huai, “Summon Hua Rong back here!”
“Yes!” Yang Huai replied in a low voice.
Yang Kai hurriedly walked out of his secluded home. Activating his Spirit Qi, his figure transformed into a streak of light that travelled quickly towards the Elder Hall. Then, he went up to the Elder on duty and briefly explained the situation.
A short while later, he flew back from the Elder Hall. Yang Kai originally thought that he would face some difficulties; after all, he was currently tasked with comprehending the Medicine King Furnace’s Grand Dao Divine Tone.
To put it bluntly, he was very highly valued by Profound Pill Sect, so it should have been impossible for him to leave Profound Pill Sect so easily under normal circumstances. At the very least, he would need to obtain Baili Yun Sang’s approval. Who could have known that Third Elder Yu Bo Yang, who was on duty at the Elder Hall, would agree immediately after listening to the situation? He even told Yang Kai to go swiftly and return quickly, as well as to be careful on the road.
Nevertheless, that was a good thing. Yang Kai did not know Su Chang Fa’s current condition, so he was anxious to return home and did not have time to be delayed.
When he came to the Divine Armament World, this world had given him a brand-new identity that came with the relevant causality and emotions. That was why his anxiety and worry upon hearing that Su Chang Fa was very ill were not fake. They came from the bottom of his heart.
Many years ago, Yang Kai had already known that Su Chang Fa’s potential had been exhausted.
The furthest Su Chang Fa could go in this life was the Third-Step Earth Realm. Having gotten on with age, he would one day face his predestined time of death if his cultivation could not advance any further.
It was just that Yang Kai never imagined that day would come so quickly!
By the time Yang Kai returned to his cave mansion, Hua Rong was back. This woman, who had always been playful and mischievous, was surprisingly tactful and did not joke around this time. She simply stood there, waiting quietly.
A short while later, a ball of light rushed into the sky. Working together, Hua Rong and Yang Kai used their Spirit Qi to wrap around Yang Huai, Li Zheng Qing, and Wan Ying Ying and took off into the sky.
…..
Third Elder Yu Bo Yang stood in front of the Elder Hall with his hands behind his back, his eyes narrowing slightly. A sound came from beside him soon after and following that, a person walked over to stand beside him and looked out into the distance, “Did he leave?”
He nodded, “He left.”
“In that case, go ahead with the plan.”
Turning to look at Baili Yun Sang, he frowned and asked, “Sect Master, is this really… the right thing to do? Regardless of the boy’s origins, he has never done any harm to Profound Pill Sect over the years. What’s more, he can hear the Medicine King Furnace’s Grand Dao Divine Tone. The number of pill recipes that he contributed over the years has been plentiful. He played a huge role in the development of Profound Pill Sect!”
Baili Yun Sang sighed, “How can I not know that? But it is precisely because this is related to the Medicine King Furnace that I have to proceed cautiously. It will be best if he has no intentions to betray Profound Pill Sect, but if he is a spy who was sent here…”
Yu Bo Yang nodded lightly, “That’s true. We cannot afford to be careless in this matter.” He paused for a moment and asked, “Isn’t it better to capture him and question him directly? Why go through the trouble of luring him out?”
Baili Yun Sang shook his head, “He is a famous figure now, and no one among the Heaven Grade Alchemists in the Sect can rival him in terms of talent. If this matter spreads to the public, it will surely become troublesome if any other disciples were to notice. It’s better to proceed quietly for now. We can explain the situation once we figure out the truth.”
Yu Bo Yang nodded at those words, “You’ve considered everything, Sect Master.”
…..
Profound Pill Sect was quite far from Void Spirit Sword Sect. It would take half a month to travel by horseback at the fastest. That was how long it had taken Gao Ming to bring Yang Kai to Profound Pill Sect back then. However, Hua Rong and Yang Kai were using their Spirit Qi to fly on this trip, so it was only natural that their speed was much faster than before.
Hua Rong might only have advanced half a year ago, but she was still a genuine Spirit Realm Master so she had the capital to fly.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was different from others even though he was only in the Ninth-Step Heaven Realm. The reserves of Spirit Qi in his body were extremely vast and could support the intense consumption flying long distances required. If it were any other Heaven Realm Master, they would not have been able to fly for so long.
They travelled as swiftly as the wind and it didn’t take more than a day for them to travel half the distance.
Hua Rong suddenly turned to look at Li Zheng Qing and asked, “Are you feeling warm?”
Li Zheng Qing was sweating profusely, but he forced a smile, “You must be joking, Young Lady. It is simply this Old Master’s first time flying so high in the sky. I can’t help being a little nervous.”
She nodded lightly and comforted him, “Rest assured. I won’t drop you.”
He whimpered in response.
Another day later, the mountain where Void Spirit Sword Sect was located came into view. The four of them landed directly in front of the mountain gate. Hua Rong glanced at Yang Kai breathlessly, her beautiful eyes were filled with surprise.
Even though she had entered the Spirit Realm, flying for two consecutive days was still difficult for her. Throughout the journey, she had consumed many pills that were personally refined by Yang Kai to replenish her depleted energy.
On the contrary, a Ninth-Step Heaven Realm Master like Yang Kai was neither flushed nor breathless. Comparing the two of them, it was almost as though her cultivation was much lower than his. Nevertheless, she clearly sensed that the Spirit Qi that Yang Kai consumed throughout the journey had not been any less than herself…
[How exactly did he achieve that?]
Unfortunately, now was not the time to consider this matter. As soon as they landed, Hua Rong immediately sensed that something was wrong as there was nobody guarding the mountain gate of Void Spirit Sword Sect. Moreover, the entire Void Spirit Sword Sect seemed to be empty. It was completely silent inside; however, she was keenly aware that there were several powerful auras lurking around and quietly watching them.
“Sir!” Hua Rong breathed in lightly and stepped closer to Yang Kai, her beautiful eyes flashing a grim light.
Yang Huai’s physique also tensed up. Like a rampaging Ominous Beast, an indescribable malevolent aura suddenly erupted from his entire body! His flesh wriggled, followed by crackling sounds that came from within his body. A moment later, his entire body became nearly ten centimetres taller.
Although he did not have Hua Rong’s powerful perception, he had a sharp instinct. Just like an Ominous Beast that had fallen into a hunter’s trap, the various incongruities in his surroundings made him feel as though he was facing a formidable enemy.
“Li Zheng Qing!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly and called out softly.
“This subordinate is here!” Li Zheng Qing replied with his head down. His entire body was shivering like a leaf in the wind and sweat dripped down his forehead without pause.
“How have I treated you?” Yang Kai glanced sideways at Li Zheng Qing with a cold look in his eyes.
Li Zheng Qing trembled, “Without your help, this Old Master would never have advanced into the Heaven Realm. To this Old Master, your favour amounts to being given a new lease on life!”
“Given a new lease on life indeed!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “So, this is how you repay me?”
Li Zheng Qing’s complexion went pale, but he stubbornly insisted, “What do you mean, Sir? This subordinate does not understand.”
“I’ll give you one last chance. How is my Honoured Master?” Yang Kai stared deeply into Li Zheng Qing’s eyes, his tone incredibly grim.
A momentary struggle flashed across Li Zheng Qing’s expression, but he steeled himself and stood by his story, “Sir, the Former Sect Master is very ill…”
*Zheng…*
A clear and crisp sword cry rang out. Following the flash of a sword light, Li Zheng Qing reacted as if struck by lightning. He reached out to clutch at his throat and stumbled backwards, his eyes widening in disbelief. Staring at Yang Kai incredulously, he cried out hoarsely, “S-Sir…”
Fresh blood gushed out uncontrollably from between the gaps in his fingers.
Yang Kai held the True Void Sword as a drop of crimson fresh blood slowly slid along the length of the blade. A gust of wind blew past, causing his hair to dance and his clothes to flap wildly in the wind, “Just because my sword has not been unsheathed for a long time, did you really think that this was a mere decoration!? Come out!”
With a single sword slash, Sword Qi overflowed in all directions, blotting out all other light!
Following that sword strike, an overwhelming sword wave swept out in all directions. Gravel flew everywhere and countless figures emerged from their hiding places, landing in all directions to surround Yang Kai and the others in a tight circle.
There was a loud crash as Li Zheng Qing collapsed to the ground, causing dust to fly everywhere. His vitality was gone. Not only had Yang Kai’s sword strike sliced through his body, but the sharp Sword Qi had also flayed much of his flesh from his bones.
One of the people who revealed themselves turned to look at Li Zheng Qing’s corpse and frowned almost imperceptibly, seeming to be surprised by Yang Kai’s decisive action. This behaviour was completely different from the Yang Kai that he knew.
In Profound Pill Sect, Yang Kai had always presented himself as a genial and polite young man. Aside from his dispute with a Heaven Grade Alchemist called Wei Cheng when he first joined the Sect, he never lost his temper at anybody or even got into an argument. Despite being outstandingly talented and being highly cherished by the Elders of the Elder Council, he had never acted as though he was better than others.
Not only did he get along well with the other Heaven Grade Alchemists, but many of his comrades and Juniors in the Sect had also received his guidance. Thus, he was extremely highly regarded among all those who were below the Spirit Grade Alchemists in Profound Pill Sect.
When their gazes met, Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and spoke in a cold voice, “Vice Hall Master Wu!”
There were a total of three men hiding in the surroundings earlier, and one of them was none other than the Vice Hall Master of the Divine Flame Hall, Wu Zheng Qi! Back when Yang Kai and Wei Cheng had duelled against each other, Wu Zheng Qi had acted as their witness; therefore, there was a slight connection between them.
Over the years, Wu Zheng Qi had interacted with Yang Kai on numerous occasions, especially as the latter revealed an aptitude for the Alchemic Dao that surpassed all others in his Grade. That was because Wu Zheng Qi had intentionally tried to forge a friendship between them, so the relationship between these two could be considered pretty good in recent years.
For that reason, Yang Kai never imagined that he would encounter Wu Zheng Qi here.
Wu Zheng Qi’s expression was rather complicated, but he had already expected this scene when he first received this mission; hence, he said nothing.
Yang Kai turned to look at the other person, his pupils contracting slightly at the sight, “Old Man Qi!”
Wu Zheng Qi was in the Fifth-Step Spirit Realm, so he was not weak, but Yang Kai was not afraid of him. If it really came down to a fight, he might not be able to do anything to Yang Kai either.
However, it was a whole different case with Old Man Qi. This old man was the Blood Warrior of Profound Pill Sect’s Sect Master, Baili Yun Sang. Yang Kai had interacted with this old man on several occasions and even the Elder Token in his possession had been handed to him by the old man.
The old man was in the Ninth-Step Spirit Realm, which was practically the peak of the entire Divine Armament World, so Yang Kai was well aware of how horrifying the old man was.
Yang Kai did not know the third person; nevertheless, it was a given that this man was also in the Spirit Realm since he was standing here.
“So, that’s how it is. Is this all part of the Sect’s plan?” Yang Kai asked, looking at Old Man Qi. He did not know the old man’s full name and had always just addressed him by his surname.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai immediately understood something when he saw these three people. He had been wondering why he was allowed to leave Profound Pill Sect so easily as logically speaking, he shouldered the heavy burden of comprehending the mysteries of the Medicine King Furnace. That made him an extremely special existence in Profound Pill Sect.
Regardless of whether he had a valid and unavoidable reason, Profound Pill Sect would not have allowed him to leave so easily. Even on the off chance that he was allowed to leave, Profound Pill Sect would have dispatched many Masters to protect him, lest something unfortunate occurred.
Contrary to Yang Kai expectations though, Yu Bo Yang had allowed him to leave without any fuss. Now, looking at the current situation, it was obvious that this was all planned by Profound Pill Sect in advance. That was why he was not met with any resistance when he departed.
Many thoughts flickered through Yang Kai’s mind in that moment. He had made substantial contributions to Profound Pill Sect over the years through comprehending the mysteries of the Medicine King Furnace. In doing so, he had turned over various pill recipes and Alchemy Techniques to the Sect. Not to mention, he had displayed an aptitude for the Alchemic Dao that greatly surpassed all others.
[Logically speaking, Profound Pill Sect should value me very much. Why did they suddenly lure me out to Void Spirit Sword Sect and ambush me?] After thinking about it, there was only one explanation that came to mind, the lies he fabricated in the past had been exposed. Profound Pill Sect had learned that he was completely unrelated to that fabricated Master of his. [Does that mean that my fabricated Master has returned to Profound Pill Sect or made contact with them somehow?]
Hua Rong, Yang Huai, and Wan Ying Ying were stunned. They could not understand what was happening in front of them. Besides, Old Man Qi and the others did not act immediately after revealing themselves; therefore, Hua Rong and the others were completely confused and at a loss for what to do.
Old Man Qi looked at Yang Kai calmly and said, “Yang Boy, surrender without a fight. This Old Master does not hold back in a fight. Alchemists are generally weak and feeble. It will be bad if I accidentally hurt you.”
Wu Zheng Qi also persuaded Yang Kai from the side, “Alchemist Yang, it’s better not to resist. The order we received is to bring you back to Sect. Also, the Sect Master specially ordered us not to endanger your life!”
Yang Kai turned to look at the stone monument carved with the characters ‘Void Spirit Sword Sect’ and asked, “Where are the people of Void Spirit Sword Sect?”
Wu Zheng Qi replied, “Rest assured, the people of Void Spirit Sword Sect have not been harmed. Half a month ago, we transferred them all to Profound Pill City. I’m sure they’ve settled there by now.”
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief at those words, “Good.”
At this point, it was obvious that Su Chang Fa being seriously ill was simply Li Zheng Qing’s excuse to lure him back to Void Spirit Sword Sect. When that thought crossed his mind, he frowned, “If the Sect Master wants to capture me, then why did he lure me out here? He could have made his move back at the Sect!”
Wu Zheng Qi shook his head and said, “I don’t know the exact details. We are simply acting according to our orders…” He gave a bitter laugh before he continued, “To be honest, this Wu didn’t even know that the person to be captured was you, Alchemist Yang.”
Turning to look at Old Man Qi, he added, “Perhaps Old Qi might know something.”
Old Man Qi shook his head, “This Old Master does not know either. The Sect Master gave his order, so this Old Master obeyed!” Glancing at the True Void Sword in Yang Kai’s hands, he gave a warning, “Yang Boy, this Old Master knows that there are two Sword Qi attacks sealed within that True Void Sword replica in your hands, but those Sword Qi attacks will not be effective against this Old Master. You can give it a try if you don’t believe me.”
Yang Kai nodded, “You are very strong, Old Qi, so I know well that these two trivial Sword Qi attacks will not be able to do anything to you.”
Old Man Qi replied, “Since you know that, then follow this Old Master back to the Sect. If there is some sort of misunderstanding, you can explain yourself clearly to the Sect Master in person.”
Likewise, Wu Zheng Qi tried to persuade Yang Kai, “Old Qi is right. Alchemist Yang, please follow us back to the Sect!”
Yang Kai took a short breath and narrowed his eyes marginally, “I will definitely return to the Sect, but… not now!”
Old Man Qi’s eyes contracted slightly, “Boy, this Old Master does not wish to harm you, but that does not mean that I won’t…”
Yang Kai raised his hand to interrupt Old Man Qi, “Old Qi, it’s not that I underestimate you; however, there is no one in this world who can stop me if I am determined to leave.”
Old Man Qi’s expression darkened and he seemed to have been angered by those words, “Shameless boasting!”
Ignoring Old Man Qi, Yang Kai turned to look at Hua Rong and Yang Huai instead, “I’m in trouble now. What do the two of you plan to do from now on?”
Hua Rong gritted her teeth, “What else can I do now that I’ve boarded your boat? Why don’t you follow them back? It’s better than being dragged back after getting beaten half to death.”
Yang Huai was never one to speak much. He simply cupped his fist and shouted, “I will serve you until the day I die, Sir!”
Wu Zheng Qi sighed, “Those who come from the Blood Warrior Hall have always been fiercely loyal to the Alchemist that they choose to serve.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Very good!” Then, he turned to look at Old Man Qi and added, “Old man, please pass this message to the Sect Master when you return to the Sect, I will return within ten days and explain everything to him at the time. I ask that the Sect Master treat the people of Void Spirit Sword Sect kindly. They are unrelated to this matter!”
Old Man Qi raised his eyebrows, “Things have already come to this, are you still caught up in your delusions? Attack!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he reached out to grab Yang Kai. A terrifying Spirit Qi spread out in a fluctuating wave, almost like ripples spreading out across the surface of a pond.
With the hand looming over them, both Hua Rong and Yang Huai were so scared that all the hair on their bodies stood upright. There was a sense of being shrouded by a cage made from the World itself, which gave them the illusion that there was nowhere to run. The might of a Ninth-Step Spirit Realm Master was evident. It was not something that either one of them could even hope to compete with.
In the next moment, however, Old Man Qi’s expression changed drastically. That was because he was caught off-guard by a sudden discovery. When he reached out towards Yang Kai, he found that rather than getting closer, the distance between them actually extended further and further away. The space between them seemed to stretch out strangely, even though Yang Kai was clearly standing right in front of him without moving a muscle.
There was a peculiar force affecting his perception and judgement! He was shocked. In all the years that he spent cultivating, he had never encountered something as peculiar as this. He urged his Spirit Qi fiercely, trying to break free from the influence of that strange power, but unfortunately, his attempts proved to be fruitless.
Yang Kai’s voice sounded in his ears, “I told you. If I want to leave, nobody in this world can stop me! Old man, don’t forget to pass my message to the Sect Master. Also, please tell him that I don’t hold any malice towards Profound Pill Sect!”
The space in front of Yang Kai distorted abnormally, and by the time Old Man Qi’s hand clenched shut, Yang Kai and the others had already inexplicably vanished out of sight.
Similarly, the attacks of Wu Zheng Qi and the other Spirit Realm Master landed on empty space, narrowly missing Old Man Qi.
Old Man Qi’s eyes widened so wide that they were bigger than eggs. He could scarcely believe what he was seeing and turning to look around his surroundings, he shouted, “Where are they!?”
Wu Zheng Qi and the other Spirit Realm Master shook their heads in unison.
Three Spirit Realm Masters had formed a tight encirclement around Yang Kai and his group, but Yang Kai and the others had disappeared right in front of their eyes. What’s more, one of them was also a Ninth-Step Spirit Realm Master! If they had not witnessed what happened themselves, even they wouldn’t have believed it!
“Impossible! Search for them! They must be hiding nearby!” Old Man Qi shouted angrily and hurriedly began searching his surroundings.
A short while later, the three of them gathered together and looked at each other, their expressions extremely ugly.
Yang Kai and the others were gone… They not only vanished without a trace but also left no clues behind.
“Just now… What did he do?” Wu Zheng Qi asked with a gloomy expression. It was his first time encountering such a bizarre phenomenon after so many years of cultivation.
Old Man Qi snapped angrily, “If I knew what kinds of means he used, I would not have allowed him to get away!”
Wu Zheng Qi and the other Spirit Realm Master looked at each other only to see the inexplicable horror in each other’s eyes! What happened just now was simply too bizarre. They could only watch helplessly as four living people vanished from under their very noses! More importantly, if Yang Kai could disappear so suddenly, then he could also appear just as suddenly! Such an ability would be very difficult to fight back against!