Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

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’ 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.