C.4497
Translator: Silavin & Tia
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
“Really?” Yang Kai raised his brow at those words. He thought that he would need to change his plans, but who could have known that Gao Xin Peng would agree to his request? It was an unexpected surprise.
Gao Xin Peng smiled, “It’s just a friendly match. Since it’s not a competition, it’s not a big deal. Besides, this Gao is interested in your Alchemy Techniques.”
He was certainly an honest person who said what he was thinking. If he was not interested in Yang Kai’s Alchemy Techniques, he would never have agreed to this request; after all, he was a Heaven Grade Alchemist. It was impossible for an Earth Grade Alchemist to surpass him in Alchemy Techniques.
Miao Hong hesitated, “Brother Gao, is this really alright?”
Gao Xin Peng smiled slightly, “Why? Are you afraid that this Gao will bully the weak, City Lord?”
Miao Hong quickly waved his hands in denial, “Brother Gao, you know that’s not what I meant. It’s just... Forget it. Since you’ve already agreed to this request, Brother Gao, this Miao won’t say any more. I just hope that you know when to stop. Don’t harm the peace!”
“Of course,” Gao Xin Peng turned to look at Yang Kai, “Little Brother, since you wanted to learn from me, I’ll let you decide on the topic. What pill do you think we should refine?”
“The Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill!” Yang Kai immediately replied.
Gao Xin Peng was slightly stunned, “The Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill? Little Brother, are you sure you want to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill?”
Yang Kai said, “I’m already at the peak of the Earth Realm and I currently need a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill to advance into the Heaven Realm. After I complete this pill, I can also make the best use of the pill.”
Gao Xin Peng asked, “Little Brother, could it be that you’re not aware? The Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill cannot be refined by those who are not in the Heaven Realm.”
“Why is that?” Yang Kai furrowed his eyebrows.
Gao Xin Peng explained, “The Spirit Qi in Earth Realm Masters is not sufficient to support the refining of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. Only those in the Heaven Realm can refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.”
Seeing Yang Kai’s ignorance, he couldn’t help doubting whether the Vitality Pills and the Turtle Breath Pill were refined by Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had never heard of such things before. Although the Divine Armament World had given him some memories along with an identity to move around in the world, he didn’t know much of the common knowledge about the Alchemic Dao here.
Upon further consideration though, Yang Kai realised something. Cultivators needed the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill to advance from the Earth Realm to the Heaven Realm, but the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill could only be refined by those in the Heaven Realm. If that was the case, then how did the first Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill come about?
This question was similar to the question of ‘which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ There was no answer.
“You won’t have any advantages if we refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. Why don’t you change it to something else instead?” Gao Xin Peng suggested.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “I am confident that I can refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.”
Leaving aside the fact that the Spirit Qi in his body was much stronger than general Earth Realm Masters, his own accomplishments in the Alchemic Dao were enough to allow him to figure out a solution when faced with various problems. His top priority was to obtain the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill!
Seeing Yang Kai’s persistence, Gao Xin Peng became slightly annoyed. He felt as though Yang Kai was deliberately trying to show off in front of him. No matter how good-tempered he was, he was still a highly revered Heaven Grade Alchemist. Nobody had ever been so presumptuous in front of him before.
As a result, Gao Xin Peng’s voice turned frosty and he declared, “If you’re so insistent, then we’ll refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.”
There was no denying that Yang Kai was extremely talented. He had heard from Miao Hong that Yang Kai was only 18 years old. Be that as it may, Yang Kai not only stood at the peak of the Earth Realm but was also an Earth Grade Alchemist. Such a person was incredibly outstanding in the Divine Armament World.
[His extraordinary talent must have made him arrogant. It might not be a bad thing for somebody like him to face some hardships in life.] Gao Xin Peng quietly vowed to himself. [I’m going to put him in his place during our Alchemy exchange. I have to show him that there’s always somebody better than him out there.]
Seeing that the two had come to an agreement, Miao Hong laughed, “This Miao is very fortunate to be able to witness two Alchemists competing with each other. What herbs do you need to prepare? This Miao will send somebody to purchase them immediately!”
Yang Kai immediately perked up his ears. How could he know what herbs he needed to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill? All his hopes were pinned on Gao Xin Peng right now. All his efforts in Heavenly Martial City were only for this moment.
A complete pill recipe not only included the list of herbs though, the refining steps, techniques, as well as the strength of the fire required was also needed. Nevertheless, it would be easier for him to deduce the pill recipe if he knew what kinds of herbs were needed.
Gao Xin Peng smiled, “There’s no need to trouble you, City Lord Miao. This Gao will send his subordinate to purchase the necessary herbs.”
After saying that, he turned around to the two Heaven Realm bodyguards behind him and issued some instructions. The female Heaven Realm Master immediately walked out.
Yang Kai nearly spat out a mouthful of blood at the sight! Despite knowing that it would not be easy to get his hands on the pill recipe of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, the scene in front of him still made him exceptionally gloomy.
[No wonder they say that the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill is an Alchemist’s greatest secret.] Gao Xin Peng’s actions were naturally to prevent others from learning what kind of herbs he used in this refinement process. But, if he was acting so secretive, then how was Yang Kai going to know what kinds of herbs were needed in the pill recipe?
Miao Hong turned to look at Yang Kai, who forced out a smile, “Many thanks for your concern, City Lord. I will also prepare my own herbs.”
“Good!” Miao Hong stopped insisting, “It’s getting late today and I’m sure the two of you have many preparations to make. In that case, let’s do this tomorrow. When the two of you are ready, this Miao will open up the Pill Room so that you may compete to your hearts’ content.”
The City Lord’s Mansion was in turmoil today and many people had been killed and injured. Miao Hong himself had barely escaped from the jaws of death earlier; thus, he was dead tired after forcefully pushing his energy to the limits and talking so much. Even so, he made sure to personally arrange for Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai’s living quarters before he left to get some rest.
That night, Yang Kai sighed and put on his familiar black robes. Instructing Du Yu Yu to keep watch, he silently left on his own.
In order to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, he had to know what kind of herbs Gao Xin Peng had purchased; therefore, he could only go out and investigate by himself.
It was fortunate that he had been wandering around the City Lord’s Mansion recently and he had perfected his stealth techniques over the past few days. After a short search, he quickly found the place where Gao Xin Peng was staying. Concealing his aura, Yang Kai silently crouched beside the skylight and looked down into the room.
There was a single flickering candle inside the room. Gao Xin Peng sat on the bed, seeming to be resting in meditation. There was no sight of the male bodyguard, so he was probably outside the door.
Thus, Yang Kai breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Both of Gao Xin Peng’s bodyguards were at the peak of the Heaven Realm and not people he could oppose right now.
There was already a precedent of being discovered by Miao Hong previously, so Yang Kai did not know whether his presence would be discovered if he kept spying into the room; therefore, the fact that the bodyguard was not inside the room was something to be celebrated.
Although Gao Xin Peng was also in the Heaven Realm, his cultivation was not at the peak of the Heaven Realm. Besides, an Alchemist like him would spend most of his energy on Alchemy. Despite being a Heaven Realm Master, he probably could not exert the strength corresponding to his cultivation.
As long as Yang Kai was careful, he would not be discovered.
After waiting for about an hour, Yang Kai suddenly heard the sound of footsteps entering the room. His spirits lifted, knowing that the female bodyguard had returned from buying the herbs.
Sure enough, the female bodyguard knocked on the door and entered the room. She placed the bag in her hands on the table and cupped her fist, “Sir, I’ve bought the herbs.”
Gao Xin Peng didn’t even bother to open his eyes, “Good. You may leave.”
“Yes!” The female bodyguard responded and respectfully took her leave.
Yang Kai’s gaze latched firmly upon that bag like a leech. He knew that all the herbs needed to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill were inside. As long as Gao Xin Peng opened the bag to check the contents, he could get a glimpse of what he needed.
And so he waited quietly...
What made Yang Kai so depressed that he wanted to spit blood though, was that Gao Xin Peng continued to meditate without moving. Dawn was about to arrive, but Gao Xin Peng remained calm and peaceful. It was obvious that he was extremely confident in his subordinate’s ability to carry out her duties.
However, Yang Kai was waiting for Gao Xin Peng to open the bag. [What am I supposed to do in this situation!?]
Yang Kai was beginning to contemplate luring the two bodyguards and Gao Xin Peng away with some sort of trick in order to investigate the contents of the bag himself, but just as he was preparing to move, Gao Xin Peng, who had been sitting cross-legged all this while, finally roused from his meditation.
Under Yang Kai’s scrutinising gaze, Gao Xin Peng got out of bed and boiled a pot of tea. While sipping slowly on his tea, he seemed to recall something and opened the bag, taking out all the herbs and checking them one by one.
Seeing this, Yang Kai was tempted to summon the Azure Dragon Spear and stab Gao Xin Peng to death! Unfortunately, he knew that the idea was unrealistic, so instead, he quickly memorised all the quantities and the types of the herbs.
A short while later, Yang Kai quietly slipped away. He led Du Yu Yu out of the City Lord’s Mansion and returned to Tian Luo Hall’s shop. Taking all the Black Jades that he previously brought with him, he hurriedly rushed to the various medicine shops.
When the sun was high up in the sky, everyone gathered at the Pill Room in the City Lord’s Mansion. Miao Hong personally opened the Pill Room, then he led Yang Kai and Gao Xin Peng inside, smilingly reporting, “This is the Pill Room of the City Lord’s Mansion. You can access the Earth Fire here. Of course, it cannot compare with your Alchemy Flame, Brother Gao, but it is enough for the lowly Alchemists in Heavenly Martial City.”
Gao Xin Peng nodded reservedly, “Since this is a learning exchange with Little Junior Brother Yang, it’s only right for everybody to use the same Alchemy Tools. This is fine!”
He obviously did not wish to seem as though he was bullying the weak; otherwise, it would not be an honest victory even if he won. It was a symbol of fairness for both of them to use the same Earth Fire and Alchemy Furnaces in this place.
Miao Hong personally explained to Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai about how to use their Spirit Qi to draw upon the Earth Fire; then, he asked the two of them to each find an Alchemy Furnace of similar standards. Only then did he stand to the side with a proud expression. As the witness of this competition, he was full of smiles.
Although he was a Master at the peak of the Heaven Realm, he rarely had the chance to observe Heaven Grade Alchemists like Gao Xin Peng personally performing Alchemy.
Under normal circumstances, the Alchemy Techniques of Heaven Grade Alchemists were absolutely confidential. Except for a few assistants, it was impossible for others to observe and emulate their actions from up close.
Miao Hong had known Gao Xin Peng for decades, but he had never seen Gao Xin Peng refining pills. It was only natural that he was extremely interested in this matter.
“If the two of you are ready, then this exchange competition can begin now.” Miao Hong gestured.
Gao Xin Peng nodded lightly. He opened his bag, took out the herbs, and arranged them by the side.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai continued to activate his Spirit Qi and familiarize himself with the Earth Fire. The strength of the fire was extremely important in Alchemy, so it was very important to familiarise himself with his new tools.
