Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain

Watching Yang Kai put away that small bottle of Snow Pond Crystal Essence, a clear look of pain appeared on Lin Mu Feng’s face.

Of course, Yang Kai pretended not to see it.

Before waiting for Yang Kai to speak again, the middle-aged woman smiled and took the initiative, “I don’t have as many treasures as these two, but I do have something that can help promote your cultivation speed.”

Saying so, she summoned a number of small flag-like objects into her hand; each of these seven flags was a different colour of the rainbow and exuded a strong aura.

[An artifact?] Yang Kai was slightly surprised, not knowing what function this artifact possessed that could actually improve one’s cultivation efficiency.

“These Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags together form one Origin Grade Low-Rank artifact, and when arranged in a certain configuration can gather the surrounding World Energy. I used to use this whenever I entered secluded cultivation, but after reaching my current level of strength, its effects have become negligible and I have not taken it out for nearly a hundred years now; however, it should be quite suitable for little brother Yang.”

Yang Kai’s eyes brightened once more, secretly thinking to himself that these three were worthy of their status as executives of a Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce branch, each of them was easily able to take out treasures that would ordinarily be impossible to find.

This time Yang Kai didn’t act as hurriedly as with the previous two, carefully accepting the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flag from the middle-aged beauty before thanking her politely.

In response, the middle-aged woman laughed lightly and said, “Lower your Knowledge Sea’s defences, I’ll teach you the method to arrange it!”

Yang Kai nodded, allowed the middle-aged woman to place her jade finger on his forehead, and accepted her instructions on how to set up the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags.

After carefully digesting this information, Yang Kai was very satisfied with the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags.

Although it was only an Origin Grade Low-Rank artifact, it was still a good treasure that perfectly suited the current Yang Kai, he could use it for some time to come, and when he no longer needed it, it could be given to others close to him.

It wasn’t as rare or valuable as the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid or Snow Pond Crystal Essence, but it was actually far more practical than them.

No matter which of these three it was, they had bled quite substantially here in taking these things out, so Yang Kai cupped his fists and said, “Many thanks for your assistance, Junior is very grateful.”

“Little Brother is too polite!” Ha Li Ka laughed, “As long as Lady Xue’er can be awoken, what does this little loss count for?”

Whether his loyal and righteous appearance was real or forced, Yang Kai couldn’t tell.

“En… does little brother wish to take a couple of Moon Slaves as well?” Lin Mu Feng suddenly remembered something and proposed.

“Moon Slaves?” Yang Kai’s brow rose and stared at them suspiciously.

The middle-aged woman immediately blushed and shouted, “You bastard! Little brother is so young yet you wish to lead him down such an unsavoury path? How do you plan to explain things when Lady Xue’er wakes up?”

Lin Mu Feng squirmed awkwardly, “Two Moon Slave shouldn’t be an issue right? Little brother Yang seems like an upright and firm willed young man. He shouldn’t be led astray simply because of two trivial Moon Slaves.”

“En, if it’s just two there really shouldn’t be a problem,” Ha Li Ka also echoed.

“What are Moon Slaves?” Yang Kai saw the three executives suddenly engage in a slightly heated debate and couldn’t help feeling curious.

Ha Li Ka lightly coughed and explained, “Moon Slaves are women specially cultivated by our Chamber of Commerce. They cultivate a very special Secret Art and take tailored pills so that their Primordial Yin contains a large amount of very pure energy. Any man who is then able to obtain their Primordial yin can obtain great benefits from it! If little brother wishes to rapidly improve his strength, Moon Slaves are truly the best choice. “

“Gathering Yin to supplement Yang?” Yang Kai’s complexion changed slightly.

“No no no!” Lin Mu Feng smiled and waved, “The method developed by my Chamber of Commerce is not some barbaric gathering Yin to supplement Yang. Little Brother should know that many cultivators who cultivate Demonic Secret Arts that use gathering Yin to supplement Yang are able to raise their strength quickly but always result in unstable foundations, making their combat efficiency far lower than others in the same realm. My Chamber of Commerce would never engage in such flawed practices. Moon Slaves are chosen from only those women with appropriate aptitudes and physiques then cultivated in a specific method which increased the concentration of energy in their Primordial Yin. This way, the men who obtain such Primordial Yin suffer very little ill effect. With little brother’s current cultivation, obtaining two Moon Slaves won’t cause any side effects.”

“Indeed, if there was really a problem with my Chamber of Commerce’s Moon slaves, there would not be so many people who purchase them,” Ha Li Ka also nodded.

“Do you also engage in human trafficking?” Yang Kai was incredibly shocked, never having expected a giant like Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce would actually have a hand in such a shady industry.

“This business is only conducted by mutual consent. Moon Slaves generally come from commoner or impoverished backgrounds who, without my Chamber of Commerce’s support, would only be able to live a few dozen years before dying of disease or old age. My Chamber of Commerce provides them with the opportunity to cultivate as well as a secure environment, allowing them to obtain superior ability and skill… Also, after Moon Slaves give their innocence to their masters, they will always obtain some benefit in return. Not only can they continue to cultivate and enhance their strength, but many Moon Slaves also live quite comfortable lives after leaving the Chamber of Commerce,” Lin Mu Feng explained in detail, seeing that Yang Kai was a bit repulsed by such things.

The middle-aged woman sat to the side, blushing, but not raising any objections. Obviously, she too was well informed about these Moon Slaves.

“Moon Slaves…” Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before waving his hand and saying bitterly, “After she wakes up, once she learns of this, I’m afraid Lady Xue’er would kill!”

Yang Kai had to admit that after listening to them talk about the benefits of Moon Slaves, especially the ability to quickly improve his strength, Yang Kai was a bit tempted. Right now his strongest desire was to quickly enhance his cultivation.

However, after mulling over this decision, Yang Kai still refused.

Part of it had to do with his principles, but a larger part had to do with his concerns. No matter how Ha Li Ka and the others boasted about the benefits of Moon Slaves, Yang Kai always felt that gathering Yin to supplement Yang would leave hidden problems which would hinder his future cultivation.

“Since that’s the case, we won’t press the matter,” Ha Li Ka said while shooting Yang Kai an approving nod. He hadn’t thought a young man like him could refuse such a great temptation.

Moon Slaves were capable of more than simply improving one’s strength, each of them was also a rare beauty who had been taught many ways to serve and please men while being proficient in countless forms of art and entertainment, they were akin to a status symbol for the young men in the Star Field to brag about.

Being accompanied by one or two Moon Slaves was enough to raise the level of one’s face significantly.

Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce cultivated a large number of Moon Slaves every year, but the backlog for their purchase was several years long. Moon Slaves alone brought in a huge amount of profit even considering the entire scope of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. The price of Moon Slaves only ever increased, but that did not dampen the enthusiasm of those who wished to buy them.

Yang Kai’s refusal had surprised all three of these executives and increased their opinion of him further, making them believe that Lady Xue’er had many reasons to select him as her guard.

Ha Li Ka and others discussed some technical matters for a moment before agreeing to send the collected materials to Zong Ao’s palace once they were prepared, after which Yang Kai took his leave.

After returning to Zong Ao’s palace, Yang Kai was filled with energy and was in exceptionally high spirits.

“Oh, a Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid, Snow Pond Crystal Essence…” Zong Ao looked at these two things Yang Kai had taken out and commented, “Ha Li Ka and Lin Mu Feng really held nothing back. It seems this little girl has even higher status in Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce than I initially believed.”

Aged ginger being spicier than young ginger, Zong Ao naturally recognized these treasures and their uses at a glance.

Taking a look next at the seven coloured flags next, Zong Ao couldn’t help chuckling, “Boy, with these things, this old master estimates you can break through to the Third Order Saint Realm in short order. Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce is worthy of its title as a great force, allowing someone to rise up quickly is a simple task for them.”

“Old Zong, in a few days, Ha Li Ka will be sending some materials over required to refine the Burning Flame Pill, I hope Old Zong can receive them for me,” Yang Kai said while taking the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags back from Zong Ao.

“As long as they don’t disturb this old master’s Alchemy it matters not,” Zong Ao snorted, squatting in front of Yang Kai and directing a suspicious look towards him, “But there’s something here this old master doesn’t understand, care you explain?”

“Old Zong, please ask!”

“Aren’t you going to refine a pill to treat your woman? Why did you suddenly bring these things back with you for?”

“What else can you do with these things? Naturally I’m going to cultivate,” Yang Kai grinned.

Zong Ao was stunned, “Aren’t you getting your priorities backwards? You only have a year and a half at most. Wanting to refine a Burning Flame Pill that forms Pill Clouds within one and a half years doesn’t leave you any time to spare, yet you’re actually in the mood to cultivate?”

“Ordinary people will sharpen their knife before butchering pigs, what’s wrong with me cultivating now to sharpen myself?” Yang Kai grinned, “On top of that, according to Ha Li Ka, one of the materials required for the Burning Flame Pill will take four months to transfer here from a nearby Medicine Star, besides cultivating what else am I supposed to do while I wait?”

“I suppose that makes sense… but will it even make a difference if you break through to the Third-Order Saint Realm?” Zong Ao wondered why Yang Kai wasn’t feeling more flustered.

“Perhaps advancing a Minor Realm will allow me to successfully refine Pill Clouds,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.

Zong Ao just stared at Yang Kai as if he was looking at an idiot, stood up tall again and waved his hand, “If you say so. This old master will just wait to see the results, as long as you don’t bother this old master, you can do as you like, this old master will go see to his own Alchemy.”

Saying so, he walked out, constantly muttering about how refining pills was difficult.

Yang Kai didn’t pay him any mind and instead began arranging his newly acquired treasures.

Back on the floating continent, he had worked hard to refine Saint King Grade pills in order to lift the seal Lu Gui Chen had planted on him. At that time, Yang Kai discovered that he was unable to further promote his Alchemy techniques because of the constraints of his own cultivation.

His cultivation was too low, and if he wanted to refine higher grades of pills, he first needed to improve in that aspect.

The four months Ha Li Ka needed to acquire the Dragon Turtle Spirit Fruits gave Yang Kai a very good buffer period. With the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid, Snow Pond Crystal Essence, and Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags, Yang Kai planed to promote his cultivation during this time.

With four months, Yang Kai had great confidence he would be able to break through to the Third Order Saint Realm, allowing him to more easily refine the required Burning Flame Pill.