Martial Peak

Having obtained Saint Crystals, it was naturally time to start shopping. Yang Yan quickly made a long list of materials she wanted to order from Shadow Moon Hall.

Qian Tong took this list and glanced over it, his expression changing dramatically in the next instant.

Each of these materials was extremely precious, and the quantity asked for was massive. If all these materials were purchased, it would cost at least forty or fifty million Saint Crystals. Qian Tong wasn’t worried about being paid; after all, Yang Kai had just collected more than a hundred million Saint Crystals, Qian Tong was simply wondering why Yang Kai wanted to buy so many raw materials.

Although he didn’t understand, he didn’t ask either, simply nodding and saying, “My Shadow Moon Hall does not have all of these materials on hand, but Nephew Yang can rest assured, within one month we will be able to collect everything you have requested.”

“Then I shall trouble Senior with this,” Yang Kai cupped his fists.

With everything that should be said having been said, Qian Tong asked Yang Kai to return to Dragon Cave Mountain and await word of the Flowing Flame Sand Field opening.

Qian Tong personally saw Yang Kai off from Treasure Trove Pavilion before handing the list of materials to Luo Qing, “Quickly collect all of these materials. If there isn’t enough in our inventory, contact the forces in the surrounding region and acquire them. Make sure the price you pay is as favourable as possible within the time limit.”

“Yes!” Luo Qing left immediately.

Only after all this was finished did Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er come over to see a somewhat excited looking Qian Tong. Seeing her Master in such a good mood, Dong Xuan’er couldn’t help asking curiously, “Master, is that person really so amazing? Why are you so interested in him?”

“He truly is amazing!” Qian Tong nodded heavily before glancing over at the two youths and letting out a sigh, “Don’t underestimate him, he may be a First Order Saint King, but he can kill cultivators in the Third-Order Saint King Realm.”

Wei Gu Chang’s eyes flashed and a look of surprise appeared on his face, but he soon calmed down.

Because he too was capable of killing an ordinary Third-Order Saint King when he was in the First Order Saint King realm, so he didn’t think this was anything too amazing.

“If that’s the case, he really does have some ability,” Dong Xuan’er said thoughtfully, but she soon smiled and said, “Even so, that’s not enough for Master to want to be on friendly terms with him. Is Master intending to recruit him into Shadow Moon Hall? “

“Recruit him into Shadow Moon Hall?” Qian Tong laughed wryly and mused, “I’m afraid he wouldn’t even consider joining Shadow Moon Hall.”

“What? My Shadow Moon Hall may not compare to Star Emperor Sect and the other top forces on Shadowed Star, but we’re certainly not weak,” Dong Xuan’er exclaimed.

“Do you know who is behind him? What his origins are?” Qian Tong slowly shook his head, “If you knew, you wouldn’t look down on him.”

“Can Elder explain clearly? Hearing you speak this way has suddenly made me interested in him,” Wei Gu Chang grinned. Anyone who could be regarded so highly by Elder Qian must not be a simple character.

“I’ll explain on our way back,” Qian Tong waved to the two; this was still Treasure Trove Pavilion, after all. Blocking their entrance wasn’t appropriate.

As the three walked towards the largest palace in Heavenly Fate City, Qian Tong said, “Can you guess who brought that Dragon Striker Whip and those Origin Condensing Pills for today’s auction?”

Dong Xuan’er was slightly startled and asked, “Does master mean…”

“En, he was the one who brought them to auction,” Qian Tong nodded slightly. “The Origin Condensing Pill need not be thought about too much, it is an incredibly rare and precious treasure, perhaps one of a kind, and should have been obtained through some kind of fortuitous encounter, but the Dragon Striker Whip was actually refined by his master.”

“What?” Wei Gu Chang was also shocked, “Elder means the master of that young man is an Origin Grade Mid-Rank Artefact Refiner? When did such a powerful master appear on Shadowed Star?”

“This is the greatest reason I wish to be on good terms with him. Shadowed Star truly does not have such a profound Artefact Refining Grandmaster, but he actually came from the outside.”

“The outside…” Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er both exchanged a startled glance, the look of longing obvious in their eyes.

“En, he comes from the outside. Our Shadowed Star is almost completely isolated from the outside world, even the nearest Cultivation Star is far, far from here. The level of Artefact Refiners on Shadowed Star is not high enough for us to refine powerful enough Starships that can connect us with the greater Star Field, so we can only imagine what kind of wonders exist out there. We only know that there are Origin King Realm masters, Origin King Grade Alchemists and Origin King Grade Artefact Refiners, but such heights are forever out of our reach.”

“We can’t reach the outside world, so how did he reach here?” Dong Xuan’er asked suspiciously.

“Chance coincidence,” Qian Tong smiled, “When I first met him, this old master didn’t dare inquire about his background for fear of offending him, but some time ago, I made Luo Qing investigate this matter and learned that he was found out in the Starry Sky by a Starship belonging to the Hai Ke Family. When he was brought aboard by them at the time, he admitted he came from a place called Rainfall Star. This old master has read some information about this Rainfall Star in the ancient records so there is no doubt it really exists.”

“Since only he was brought here, why is Master so certain he has an Origin Grade Mid-Rank Artefact Refiner behind him?”

“I don’t know what the intentions of the master behind him are, but I speculate he is simply protecting him in secret. When the Hai Ke Family’s Starship was about to return to Shadowed Star, they were attacked by a large pack of Black Rock Beasts. At that time, the Hai Ke Family Starship was in dire straits and about to be destroyed when suddenly, a golden spear appeared and swept away the entire Black Rock Beast pack, rescuing their lives. Afterwards, the Hai Ke Family disciples couldn’t find the master who rescued them as that person refused to show themselves,” Qian Tong explained, “This information was obtained directly by Luo Qing, and many of the Hai Ke Family’s disciples saw it with their own eyes, so this old master is certain someone was there protecting Yang Kai from the shadows, quite likely his master.”

Qian Tong’s inference was quite reasonable. Whoever obtained such information, combined with the fact that Yang Kai had sold various high-grade artefacts, would reach a similar conclusion.

However, he had underestimated Yang Kai’s true strength as well as the level of Yang Yan’s extraordinary abilities, causing him to imagine the existence of some kind of profoundly hidden master behind them.

“No wonder, if he really comes from the outside, he might really have an Origin Grade Mid-Rank Artefact Refiner behind him!” Wei Gu Chang gently nodded.

“You two know the weight of such matters. What I’m telling you today is not to chastise you, but to let you recognize that others have their own strengths, so you must not immediately judge or underestimate anyone. You should also know that what I have told you is not to be repeated to anyone else.”

“Disciple understands,” Both the two youths nodded firmly.

“This old master even suspects that the master behind Yang Kai is more than just an Origin Grade Mid-Rank Artefact Refiner, but regardless of the truth, what is important is that we not find ourselves on bad terms with them. He has also agreed to help refine two Origin Grade defensive type artefacts for you two. He will be entering the Flowing Flame Sand Field together with you two this time, so you will have a chance to become familiar with one another. Don’t be negligent!”

“Disciple will remember,” Both Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er nodded in unison, feeling a bit regretful on the inside. When Elder Qian had brought them to that private room, they really shouldn’t have put on such an arrogant display. The two of them thus decided secretly that after the Flowing Flame Sand Field opened, they would make an effort to befriend Yang Kai.

In front of the entrance to Dragon Cave Mountain, Yang Kai leapt off his Star Shuttle and landed.

Wu Yi and Yang Yan were both observing him with a strange look. On their way back, these two had been shooting him bewildered looks quite frequently.

“What do you want to ask?” Yang Kai frowned.

“Do you actually have a master?” Wu Yi couldn’t help but ask.

“Why do you say that?”

“You asked me what kind of pill was the most valuable before. I said Origin Condensing Pills and Origin Nirvana Pills. Then you took out two Origin Condensing Pills. Did your Master give them to you?”

Yang Kai chuckled, “What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” Wu Yi shook her head honestly.

“If I had a Master, don’t you think you’d have seen him by now?”

“What about that Origin Condensing Pill …”

“If I said I refined it myself, would you believe me?”

The two women unhesitantly shook their heads.

Seeing them not believe him at all, Yang Kai finally understood what Yang Yan must have felt like when she was proclaiming that she was an Origin Grade Artefact Refiner everywhere, but no one believed her.

Instead of dwelling on the issue though, Yang Kai tossed the Space Ring given to him by Qian Tong over to Yang Yan, “Refine two defensive artefacts for them but don’t make them too strong, Origin Grade Low-Rank will do.”

“Got it,” Yang Yan nodded. Two Origin Grade Low-Rank defensive artefacts wouldn’t be difficult for her to refine. Now that she had the Stone Puppet’s help, she could refine artefacts many times faster than before.

The most time-consuming process of Artefact Refining was quenching the raw materials. Ordinarily, the quenching process needed to be carried out several times to remove impurities. This not only used up a lot of time, but also consumed a great deal of strength, but the Stone Puppet could complete this process in a very short time and to an exceptionally high standard. No wonder Yang Yan had said that Stone Puppets were the best assistants for Artefact Refiners, they truly were.

Yang Yan used to take one or two months to refine an Origin Grade artefact, but now she could do so in just three or four days. The reduction in time spent was nothing less than extraordinary.

“I’m going to enter secluded cultivation to prepare to enter the Flowing Flame Sand Field. I’m leaving you in charge of the cave’s matters,” Yang Kai said before entering his own stone room, closing the stone door and entering retreat.

The opening time of the Flowing Flame Sand Field was uncertain, but he should have at least a month or two before then.

Yang Kai needed to improve his combat power during this time.

In terms of artefacts, he needed to finish establishing a connection with the purple shield and Hundred Mountains Picture as soon as possible. He had finished refining both artefacts and now all that was needed was to warm and nourish them with his Saint Qi so he could flexibly use them in battle.

In terms of pills, Yang Kai planned to refine a couple of bottles of Snow and Ice Pills.

The Snow and Ice Pills that appeared at the auction were Origin Grade Low-Rank, so he would have no trouble refining some with his current Alchemy proficiency. There was also no shortage of materials in his Black Book Space.

As for things like healing pills, Yang Kai already had many on him, so there was no need to refine more. On top of that, he had great confidence in the restorative abilities of his body. If worst came to worst, Yang Kai could directly burst a drop of Golden Blood. As long as his foundation wasn’t hurt, with the massive amount of vitality contained within a drop of Golden Blood, restoring himself should be a simple task.

The only other matter of importance to Yang Kai was to increase the power of his Space Blade as soon as possible.