This pill-refining method sent Yang Kai's heart racing.
Previously, the pills he had refined were of modest grade. The materials were easy to find, and one set of ingredients produced one pill without any issues.
With Lingxiao Sect backing him, Yang Kai had no need to worry about sourcing materials.
But now he was a Void King grade alchemist. The ingredients for refining pills were not only exceedingly precious and difficult to find, but they also required something like a Pill Catalyst. Even with Lingxiao Sect, he could not obtain a large quantity of such materials.
If he could use one set of ingredients to refine more than one spirit pill, that would be a massive profit for him.
This was not urgent. He had only just been promoted to Void King grade alchemist and still needed to accumulate a great deal of experience. Only when his experience in refining Void King grade spirit pills had reached a certain level could he delve into deeper techniques.
…
Half a month later, Yang Kai returned to Green Water City.
He had not found Su Yan on this trip, and he did not intend to linger on this Cultivation Star any longer. He needed to return to Tongxuan Continent as quickly as possible and transfer his friends and family to Dark Star, providing them with a better environment and resources for Cultivation.
When he arrived at the inn where Qian Tong and the others had been staying, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense for a sweep and could not help but look stunned.
Qian Tong and the others were no longer here.
This unexpected discovery made his heart skip a beat. He did not know whether Qian Tong and his companions had run into some trouble, since he had arranged to meet them here before departing that day.
Where could they have gone?
Frowning, Yang Kai took out a transmission compass and poured his Divine Sense into it.
A moment later, the compass lit up, and a fluctuation of Divine Sense power emanated from within. Yang Kai quickly focused his mind to examine it.
After deciphering the message Qian Tong had sent him, Yang Kai was thoroughly surprised.
Nothing bad had happened to them. On the contrary, they were doing quite well and had already become guest Elders of Green Water City.
This result caught Yang Kai completely off guard.
Putting the compass away, Yang Kai dashed straight out of the inn and headed toward a building in the center of Green Water City.
By the time he arrived, Qian Tong and the others were already there, greeting him with warm smiles.
After several months apart, they did not bother asking Yang Kai what he had been up to. They enthusiastically ushered him inside the building and had tea served before finally explaining the situation.
It turned out that shortly after Yang Kai had left, the City Lord of Green Water City had personally come to visit Qian Tong and the others.
After all, a lineup of five Return to Void third stage powerhouses was something no one on Cuiwei Star could ignore, let alone in a small city like Green Water. Besides the City Lord and Deputy City Lord, there were no other third stage experts in the entire city.
Qian Tong and his group had suddenly appeared here, which set the City Lord on edge. Wary of their intentions, he came to probe their purpose.
Once he learned that Qian Tong and the others were not native martial artists of Cuiwei Star and had merely come to participate in the Blood Prison Trial, the City Lord of Green Water City breathed a huge sigh of relief.
He immediately tried to win them over, inviting them to serve as Elders of Green Water City.
Qian Tong and the others had initially been reluctant to accept. For them, Cuiwei Star was merely a place to break through and advance. They would eventually return to Dark Star, so there was no need to take up the post of Elder in a city they did not intend to stay in.
Accepting rashly would have been irresponsible.
But after the City Lord of Green Water City laid out the stakes and informed them that he himself would be participating in the Blood Prison Trial, so they could help one another, Qian Tong and the others considered the matter for a while and agreed.
They did not accept the position of Elder, however, only agreeing to serve as idle guest Elders.
They had already informed the City Lord of Green Water City that they would be leaving after the Blood Prison Trial.
The City Lord happily agreed.
That was why they were no longer staying at the inn, but had taken up residence at a place the City Lord had arranged for them.
"We are outsiders after all, and the City Lord naturally harbors some wariness toward us. It is only natural that he would try to win us over. However, since he is a native martial artist of Cuiwei Star, his knowledge of the Blood Prison Trial should far surpass ours. Joining forces with him is mutually beneficial," Qian Tong said leisurely.
"Mm." Yang Kai nodded. "That works well enough. Having a local guide means at least we won't need to worry about gathering intelligence. You seniors can handle it as you see fit, but... do be careful. Don't let the City Lord of Green Water City scheme against you somehow. After all, you never truly know what is in another person's heart."
Qian Tong and the others burst into hearty laughter.
Mo Yu spoke up: "Sect Master Yang, rest easy. The City Lord of Green Water City may be shrewd, but from my interactions with him, his character does not seem bad. He should know better than to overstep. And even if he wanted to scheme against us, he would be doing it alone — we have nothing to fear."
"Then I was worrying over nothing," Yang Kai replied with a nod. "Mm, since everything is well with you seniors here, I can depart with peace of mind."
"How long will it take you to return?" Qian Tong asked, his expression turning serious.
"I'm not sure. A year or two at the shortest, three or four at the longest. Perhaps I can make it back before the Blood Prison Trial and go inside to see what all the fuss is about." Yang Kai grinned.
"That would be best. If you were to join us, this trial would surely be much safer." Qian Tong's spirit visibly lifted — he clearly had tremendous confidence in Yang Kai's strength.
The others likewise looked at Yang Kai with eager expressions, as though wishing he would leave and return as soon as possible.
Yang Kai smiled and turned to Qian Yue. "Are you coming back to Tongxuan Continent with me, or staying here?"
"Me?" A look of uncertainty crossed Qian Yue's face.
She truly did not know what to choose.
Tongxuan Continent was the homeland she shared with Yang Kai. To say she did not miss it would be a lie. She had been forced to leave all those years ago, and now that she had the chance to return, she naturally wanted to see once more the land where she had grown up.