Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Yang Kai was in no hurry to begin cultivating. After spending so many years in the outside world doing just that, he was no stranger to the principle of sharpening his axe before chopping wood. He dug out all the pills he retrieved from Void Spirit Sword Sect’s storehouse. Several dozen bottles of pills sat in several rows before him. Then, he opened them one by one to check their various medicinal efficacies.

His attainments in the Alchemic Dao were extremely deep, so distinguishing the uses of these pills was very easy for him, more so since the pills in Void Spirit Sword Sect were not particularly high-grade products. It didn’t take long before he had neatly sorted all the bottles of pills into several categories.

He randomly grabbed one of the bottles, opened it without a care, and poured the entire contents into his mouth. Immediately after that, he followed with the second bottle, then the third bottle... It was not until he emptied the contents of the fifth bottle that his stomach felt slightly full and bloated.

If he wanted to increase his strength then his body was his greatest capital. Recalling the journey he took to get here, the toughness of his body had given him many advantages over time. Whether he was cultivating or facing enemies, the resilience of his physique always played a huge and crucial role in his success. The tougher his body, the more pressure he could withstand, and the faster he could cultivate.

Yang Kai had secretly examined his body in the Divine Armament World, quickly discovering that his current aptitude was neither particularly good nor bad. It could only be considered average, nothing special; however, the toughness of his body was practically unmatched.

Something like aptitude was basically fixed from the moment of birth. It was difficult for him to enhance his aptitude, so he could only start from a different path. Fortunately, the potential of his Dragon Vein was still intact. Focusing on enhancing his Dragon Vein to improve this body was perfectly feasible.

The medicinal efficacies inside his stomach dissolved and the slight feeling of fullness from earlier rapidly ballooned. Yang Kai soon felt as though there was a fire in his stomach and all his internal organs were burning.

This was only to be expected though, as while Void Spirit Sword Sect’s Spirit Pills weren’t high-grade, he was only in the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm. In the Divine Armament World, his existence was no different from an ant. How could he possibly withstand the impact of so many medicinal efficacies all at once? If it were an ordinary Fourth-Step Mortal Realm Master, the explosion of such enormous medicinal efficacies would have been enough to kill him.

Yang Kai himself was also having a hard time at the moment. Crimson blood slowly flowed out of his seven orifices, his body trembled uncontrollably, his complexion turned green and pale, and his stomach felt as though countless cats were clawing at him from the inside with all their might.

Still, he forcefully endured the discomfort while at the same time circulating the Void Spirit Art to guide the enormous medicinal efficacies through his blood and muscles, nourishing every part of his body.

The power of his Dragon Vein hidden in his blood slowly exerted its power. Although it was not much, it constantly helped to repair his damaged body and meridians. It was enough to prevent him from dying as he walked along the fine edge between life and death to seek great opportunity.

As he slowly became accustomed to the impact of the medicinal efficacies, Yang Kai’s mental state improved considerably. The enormous medicinal efficacies were gradually absorbed into his body with the help of the Void Spirit Art to become the foundation of his strength.

Approximately an hour later, he finally sensed that the medicinal efficacies in his body were almost depleted. Yang Kai quietly examined himself and found that the toughness of his body had improved sharply compared to before. His muscles were more compact and felt stronger and his meridians were wider and more resilient, allowing him to tolerate a stronger flow of Spirit Qi.

These effects were not just thanks to the five bottles of Spirit Pills but also thanks to the subtle transformation brought about by his Dragon Blood. In fact, the latter accounted for a larger proportion of these changes. Compared to before, the toughness of his body had increased by approximately 20%. This result was quite satisfying.

A pungent smell filled Yang Kai’s nose and he felt his entire body was incredibly wet and sticky, almost as though he was covered in a layer of mud. He knew that this was the effect of his body excreting a large quantity of impurities; however, he couldn’t be bothered and simply swallowed several more bottles of pills.

This cycle repeated over and over again. Those several dozen bottles of pills that Void Spirit Sword Sect worked so hard to accumulate over the years were used up by Yang Kai in a mere three days. The final result was that the toughness of his body had increased many times over. Even the power of his Dragon Vein had been greatly stimulated. Traces of golden Dragon Blood flowed through his veins now, carrying with it a horrifying power.

In addition, his newly awakened Dragon Blood was now constantly influencing and enhancing his body. Even if he did nothing, the toughness of his body would only become stronger and stronger over time. His cultivation had also risen from the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm to the Fifth-Step Mortal Realm!

There were four Great Realms in this world, Mortal, Earth, Heaven, and Spirit. Each Great Realm had nine Minor Realms. The concept was similar to the Nine Orders of the Open Heaven Realm. Among them, the barrier of the Fourth-Step and the Seventh-Step were the hardest to overcome in each Great Realm, doing so would lead to a whole world of difference in strength. On the other hand, one could easily break through from the Fourth-Step to the Sixth-Step as long as one had accumulated enough Spirit Qi.

Yang Kai had consumed many Spirit Pills during this period, and while most of the medicinal efficacies had been used to enhance and strengthen his body, quite a lot of the remaining medicinal efficacies had also been transformed into Spirit Qi. That Spirit Qi flooded his body and meridians, naturally allowing his cultivation to progress at a rapid pace.

Suddenly, the sound of a grumbling stomach rang out. Yang Kai was starving. He was so hungry that he felt he could eat a horse. This feeling was very new to him, or rather, very old, making him wonder just how long it had been since he last felt hunger?

In the outside world, thanks to the constant advancement of his cultivation, Yang Kai had long ago overcome the need to eat to sustain himself. Even if he ate something once in a while, it was only to satisfy his appetite and cravings, not to fulfil a basic physical need. However, things were different in the Divine Armament World. The cultivators in the Mortal Realm were not at a level where they go without food indefinitely, and in fact, it seemed the higher their cultivation became, the greater their appetite.

The impurities discharged from Yang Kai’s body had already formed a hard shell over his skin at this point, so he decided that he might as well leave his secluded home. He took a bath and changed into a new set of clean clothes before he went to the Sect’s kitchen and practically gobbled up everything he could get his hands on.

The disciples guarding the kitchen stared at Yang Kai in stunned shock, watching helplessly as he finished eating all the food in the kitchen. They could barely believe what they were seeing.

The main reason was that Yang Kai’s appearance had changed quite drastically. Compared to the last time they saw him a few days ago, he seemed to have become much thinner. The clothes that used to fit him like a glove now seemed almost empty, hanging loosely around his frame. Those who met him for the first time would think that he was malnourished; yet, his eyes were so bright that it was scary.

“Who are the visitors in the Main Hall?” Yang Kai held a half-cooked leg of lamb on each hand, chomping on his food with great relish while glancing in a certain direction.

There were two rows of disciples lined up on both sides outside the Main Hall, making for quite the formal sight. In his memories, Void Spirit Sword Sect would only perform such grand gestures when dealing with the arrival of important guests.

A Junior Brother nearby quickly answered, “I heard that one of the Protectors of Roaring Tiger Sect arrived today. Sect Master and the two Elders are currently discussing important matters with that person.”

“People from Roaring Tiger Sect, huh…” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “They sure act fast!”

The reason for Roaring Tiger Sect’s arrival was undoubtedly the Black Jade mine.

It was just as Elder Hong Xiu mentioned before; with Void Spirit Sword Sect’s current strength, it was impossible for them to monopolise the Black Jade mine. They were powerless to resist if Roaring Tiger Sect wished to interfere in this matter; therefore, they had originally planned to survive in the cracks formed when Roaring Tiger Sect and Tian Luo Hall fought for control of the mine. It was just that Yang Kai ended up killing Zhang Yu Lin, so it was useless to count on Tian Luo Hall now.

Unfortunately, Yang Kai’s current strength was too low, so he couldn’t help with these matters even if he wanted to.

“Burp…”

Yang Kai let out a loud belch and licked the grease off his fingers. After that, he patted the person next to him on the shoulder and wiped the rest of the grease on his fingers on that person’s clothes, “Good, I’m going back to cultivate. Watch the kitchen well. Don’t let some random wild beast in to steal all the food here!”

The Junior Brother stared dumbfound at Yang Kai’s departing back. When he turned around to look at the empty kitchen, he became desperate to cry but was unable to shed any tears. [Our Fellow Brothers will most likely have to go hungry tonight!]

Yang Kai returned to his secluded home and glanced at the White Jades scattered across the ground. Then, he loosened his muscles.

There were more than 2,000 pieces of White Jade stored in Void Spirit Sword Sect’s treasury. This number was not large, but for Yang Kai, in his current cultivation, it was not small either. It was enough for him to cultivate for some time. Each White Jade was about the size of a finger. Moreover, it was cool to the touch and the Spirit Qi contained within could be perceived clearly.

He sat down cross-legged in the middle of the White Jade pile. Grabbing a handful in each hand, he let out a breath and began to circulate the Void Spirit Art. Pure Spirit Qi immediately flowed out from the White Jade into his body. The Spirit Qi circulated through his meridians to sink into his body and dantian.

His body that underwent three days of conditioning still might not seem that strong, but his physique had clearly gotten much stronger than before. It was perfectly reflected in the speed in which he absorbed the Spirit Qi from the Spirit Jade. His meridians had become wider and more resilient, which in turn allowed more Spirit Qi to flow more smoothly. It was only natural that his rate of absorption would increase significantly.

Large amounts of Spirit Qi flooded his body and transformed into his new foundation. Yang Kai’s originally thin figure seemed to swell slowly like a balloon being pumped full of air. It didn’t take long before he transformed into a brave, heroic, and extraordinary figure. The loose clothes gradually fit around his body once more.

A short while later, Yang Kai stopped feeling any Spirit Qi flowing into his body from his hands. He spread open his palms and saw that the two handfuls of Spirit Jade had become grey and dull. The energy in these Spirit Jades had been absorbed cleanly.

Discarding the used Spirit Jades, Yang Kai grabbed another handful to continue his cultivation.

Time passed slowly, and after refining more than 600 White Jades, Yang Kai felt as though he had reached his current limit. His body was filled with Spirit Qi to the point that no more could be accommodated. The Spirit Qi surged wantonly throughout his meridians and his body. It was unbearably painful and his exposed skin turned blood red as a result.

Most cultivators would stop cultivating and slowly take the time to digest their gains when they encounter such a situation; after all, cultivation should be done slowly and steadily. Haste was never the answer.

However, Yang Kai had no time to waste. He had kicked a hornets’ nest as soon as he arrived in the Divine Armament World and according to his estimations, Tian Luo Hall’s retaliation would arrive soon. If he did not increase his cultivation quickly, he would not have enough strength to survive the calamity. Besides, he wanted to use this kind of crazy cultivation method to increase the limits of his body.

As he continued to refine the Spirit Qi in the Spirit Jades, his body acted like a bottomless pit. His clothes danced and flapped around him even though there was no wind while the entire secluded home seemed to rumble faintly.

Fresh blood leaked out of his pores and soon dyed his clothes red, but even so, Yang Kai ignored everything and continued to refine the White Jades like mad. The damage to his body was left to the power of his Dragon Vein to heal.

All of a sudden, he felt his entire body becoming light all over. It felt as though he had broken through a barrier and the surging power in his body was immediately alleviated as a result.

Sixth-Step Mortal Realm!