Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Raikov

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Guo Zi Yan smiled, "She is not in the Star City. Sir should also know the history and condition of this Star City. Cold steel glints and flashes endlessly each and every day and the conflicts never end. This subordinate is also living a life filled with blood and violence. This subordinate did not want to drag his precious daughter down with me. She lost her mother young, so this subordinate sent her to a trusted friend to cultivate in peace long ago."

Yang Kai made a knowing 'oh'.

This was also a type of escape. If she truly did stay by Guo Zi Yan's side in the previous Star City, then she would also have been whisked into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. If that had happened, then it would truly be hard to say whether she would have remained alive until now or not.

"Then, once we are out of the Grand Ancient Ruins, bring her to me. I will grant her anything she needs."

Guo Zi Yan was excited, "This subordinate thanks Sir!"

"Take these Open Heaven Pills as well. I'm sure you will need them while you cultivate." Yang Kai tossed out a Space Ring to him.

Guo Zi Yan accepted it and swept his Divine Sense into it before calling out in alarm, "Sir, this is too much!" The Open Heaven Pills inside were piled into a small mountain. There were at least 10,000 of them.

"If I tell you to take it, then just take it. If it's too much, you can divide them with your subordinates." Then, Yang Kai got up and walked towards the inner room, "I will be entering retreat soon, so if there's anything you need, see Yue He. She will naturally inform me."

Looking at Yang Kai's departing figure, Guo Zi Yan was overcome with gratitude and he couldn't help but feel like a gentleman willing to die for his good friend. He cupped his fists and quickly said, "Subordinate obeys!"

Yang Kai walked to his own room, and in a flash, his figure disappeared. When he reappeared, he had already arrived atop a remote mountain.

Guo Zi Yan and the others had been sorting Space Rings over the past two weeks or so, but Yang Kai had not been idle. Everyone thought that he was in his own room, but he had in fact run out.

After finding out that the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary wasn't as simple as he originally thought, and that there were even traces of a Divine Spirit, Yang Kai naturally wouldn't make any rash moves.

In those two weeks or so, he ran to several places to prepare several escape routes in case anything happened one day, greatly increasing his level of security.

He left Space Beacons at a number of well-hidden locations, so as long as he was not restricted by any Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Arrays or Secret Techniques that isolated space, no one could stop him.

The place where he was currently was Crouching Dragon Mountain, which was also the place where Yang Kai refined the Earth Element Dragon Bead back then.

The Scarlet Floor Dragon used to reside here, spreading its influence across the mountains, so no other powerful exotic beasts dared to come close. Once the Scarlet Flood Dragon was taken away by Yang Kai, this place became deserted.

Yang Kai did not come here to find precious treasures though.

Instead, he was here to cultivate. During his fight with the mantis head, Yang Kai was shocked by his opponent's masterful sword techniques, which also helped him see his own shortcomings. In his hands, even an artifact as Heaven-shaking as the Azure Dragon Spear could not bring out much power. Up until now, Yang Kai had been relying solely on the Azure Dragon Spear's penetrative force and his own strength to fight, not even touching upon the Spear Dao or any Spear Techniques.

Being able to kill the mantis head last time had been more of a gamble with a lucky ending than a true victory. If his opponent had made preparations against him, then Yang Kai might not have even won that fight.

Even though he had to condense his Yin, Yang and Five Elements with haste, even a clever woman cannot cook a meal without rice. Establishing a proper foundation now and enhancing his base prowess would only benefit him, while not doing so would leave him with lifelong regrets.

Now that he had a big helper like Scarlet Star, Yang Kai believed that he would surely be informed once news of materials of the Seventh Order or above appeared in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so there was no need for him to personally search for them.

During this waiting period, he could naturally do other things.

Guo Zi Yan and his subordinates were not only able to find a great amount of wealth in the tens of thousands of Space Rings, there were also many Secret Techniques and books, many of which were related to the Spear Dao. Yang Kai had set these all aside and was prepared to carefully study them so he could cultivate his skills. He relied greatly on the Azure Dragon Spear these days, and if he wanted to fully utilise its power in the future, this training was essential.

But he was in no hurry to cultivate Spear Techniques; instead, he stood on a mountain, closed his eyes, and concentrated as he carefully sensed inside his Dao Seal.

The air was distorted by the faint but burning heat emanating from Yang Kai's body, and the space around him had also begun to undulate.

"Golden Crow Casts the Sun!"

Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and a Great Sun suddenly manifested behind his back. The Great Sun was blazing hot, as if there really was a Sun floating in the air, and in the middle was a Three-Legged Golden Crow flying about joyfully.

Great power was constantly flowing out from his body. Ever since the appearance of this Divine Manifestation, Yang Kai felt like he had shed his former body and was reborn. It was simply indescribable.

He now knew that this was called a Divine Manifestation thanks to Yue He.

Yang Kai remembered the complicated look on her face when she told him about it.

Only those who had condensed Seventh-Order or higher Elements or reached a Seventh-Order and above Open Heaven Realm could possibly achieve a Divine Manifestation. Even those in the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm were not guaranteed to obtain a Divine Manifestation, and those who could were the best of the best, important figures in the Cave-Heavens and Paradises.

Yang Kai had no idea how he had achieved this either. He had been in retreat previously and trying to comprehend the mysteries of his Elements, and even though he intended to push his potential with the use of a life-or-death struggle, the result that he got was far beyond his expectations. A light flashed in his mind, and the Golden Crow's True Fire began roiling inside of his Dao Seal, showing him the scene of the Golden Crow forging the Great Sun, then all of a sudden, the Divine Manifestation appeared naturally without obstructions.

Yue He said that once the Divine Manifestation appeared, anyone who knew at least a thing or two about it would deduce that Yang Kai had refined the Seventh-Order Golden Crow's True Fire! It was a fact that simply could no longer be hidden.

And Yang Kai had no intention of hiding anything either. Since it got exposed, then so be it. They were in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary anyway and no one could do anything to him. Once he was out of the Grand Ancient Ruins, then who knows whether he could advance to the Open Heaven Realm or not?

When that time came, who would he have to be afraid of in this vast world?

Quietly feeling the might of the Divine Manifestation, Yang Kai's aura rose. He felt his strength growing powerful enough that he could destroy even a foe in the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm!

A Low-Rank Open Heaven Master should not even think about beating him in a one-on-one fight anymore.

But... the consumption was also shocking! As soon as the Golden Crow Casts the Sun Manifestation appeared, Yang Kai could feel the energy inside of his body flowing rapidly as if a floodgate had been opened.

If this went on, then he would not even be able to sustain this Manifestation for a single incense worth of time.

That day, in the fight with Sword Pavilion, even if the Manifestation was not broken, Yang Kai himself would have had to dispel it. It seemed like it could only be used as a last resort, and once used, he had to kill his enemy in the shortest time possible, or he would be the one to suffer.

Exhaling lightly, Yang Kai dispersed the Manifestation, and his outflow of energy finally ceased.

Thoughts flashing, several Dragon Shields were erected around him. Each one of the shields was a Great Dragon with their heads and tails connected and spiralling into the shape of a shield, covered in dense Dragon Scales. The Dragon Claws and Dragon Teeth were clearly visible, and one could tell they were very sturdy at a glance.

This was only a Divine Ability, not a Manifestation.

Yang Kai frowned. It was from the Dragon Bead that he comprehended this Divine Ability, and that was why he suddenly had the idea to enlighten himself about his Wood and Fire Element Powers. He wanted to see whether he could learn anything from them, and he actually succeeded.

This Dragon Shield Secret Technique was the Divine Ability of a Great Dragon before its death, and it remained inside of its Dragon Bead after it fell. Yang Kai had a Dragon Source and the Dragon Clan's bloodline, so he could easily comprehend it. If it were anyone else, they might not have been as lucky.

But this Dragon Shield was the Divine Ability belonging to the Great Dragon when it was still alive. Strictly speaking, Yang Kai was only comprehending something belonging to someone else for his own use, so this was not a discovery of his own.

Studying the Golden Crow's True Fire led him to discover a Divine Manifestation like the Golden Crow Casts the Sun, so what about the Earth Dragon's Bead? And what about the Immortal Tree? He should be able to learn a thing or two from these, right?

Yang Kai's heart was eagerly thumping and immediately wished he could immerse his consciousness into his Dao Seal

But in the end, he dispelled the thought. Gaining insight into the Golden Crow Casts the Sun was a lucky opportunity in itself, so he may not necessarily be as lucky going forward.

Shaking off the distractions from his mind, Yang Kai looked around and got busy.

An hour later, a simple log house sat atop the hill. Rather than call it a log house, it might as well be called a pavilion as all four sides were open with only the roof and the floor covered.

Yang Kai took out a meditation mat from his Space Ring and sat cross-legged before bringing out a bunch of jade slips and placing them in front of him.

There were at least a thousand of these jade slips, all of which were related to Spear Techniques and Spear Dao.

Since he wanted to enhance his comprehension of the Spear Dao, the most obvious plan was to do plenty of research. Some of the information in these jade slips may be worthless, but he could still eliminate the bad and retain the good. Yang Kai believed that he was sure to gain something from this process, at the very least.

Casually picking up a jade slip and looking through it, Yang Kai kept an open mind and silently simulated the technique in his head.

The Secret Technique recorded in this jade slip was called One Spear Ten Kills and required strong explosive strength. Each spear attack was quicker and stronger than the last. Dealing all ten spear attacks in order multiplied its power.

He had no idea which unlucky bastard this belonged to, but in Yang Kai's opinion, this One Spear Ten Kills was both flashy and impractical. During a life or death moment, who would give one the opportunity to go through ten whole moves to gather their strength? Once interrupted, this Spear Technique would become useless.

After a few moments, Yang Kai tossed the jade slip aside and picked up another.

Day after day went by. With neither sunrise nor sunset, it was not known how much time had passed here in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. The jade slips tossed aside by Yang Kai gradually increased as he completely immersed himself in the mysteries recorded in each. He had envisioned each Secret Technique in his mind one after another.

There were not many Masters among the tens of thousands of cultivators who these jade slips originally belonged to, so the Secret Techniques that they owned would naturally not be of too high a grade; however, it was still suitable for a novice in the Spear Dao like Yang Kai. If he was truly given something profound, then he may not be able to understand it; after all, he had never set foot upon this Dao before! Still, the Martial Dao was a path where one method could be applied to countless others. It could be difficult, but it could also be simple. It all depended on one's insight.

One month later, Yang Kai tossed aside the last jade slip. When he reopened his eyes, there was not a single trace of fatigue. Rather, his spirit seemed to be glowing.

Even though he was just sitting there, he was surrounded by a profound aura, as if a long spear stood tall in his place.

His Spear Intent had come to life. Yang Kai had been simulating the techniques inside of more than a thousand jade slips during this time, and even though he did not try them physically, Spear Dao initial insights had been branded into his mind and Soul.