"Murong Xiaoxiao!"
"Present."
"Yang Kai!" Qiu Ran's gaze swept toward him, and with it the eyes of everyone else. Yang Kai froze on the spot, pointing at himself. "Me too?"
Qiu Ran said with a dark expression, "Didn't you hear what was being discussed just now?"
How could Yang Kai have heard anything? He'd been busy chatting with Murong Xiaoxiao. The Divine Temple was sending both Xiao Baiyi and Murong Xiaoxiao — probably to give them more experience. Although they had participated in that martial competition before, they had done so as disciples. Now that they had been promoted to Elders, the situation was different. Getting out and about could help them accumulate experience and meet more people. In the future, there might be occasions where they needed to lead teams out, and at least they wouldn't be completely in the dark.
But what was he supposed to do tagging along? The people Qiu Ran had just named, counting himself, made a full five. Did handling matters below the Emperor Realm really require five Emperor Realm Elders to lead the way? Wasn't that making a mountain out of a molehill?
Moreover, Lingxiao Palace had countless trivial matters — over a hundred thousand disciples hadn't fully settled in yet, and Yang Kai wasn't particularly keen on attending the Southern Domain martial competition. He pondered for a moment before saying, "Senior Brother, forgive me, but I still have matters to attend to..."
Gao Xueting said, "You are, after all, a Divine Temple Elder. It's one thing to have been absent all these years, but now that you have the chance to go, you should. Otherwise, people might forget that the Divine Temple even has you as an Elder."
Every Emperor Realm cultivator was a pillar of the sect, its anchor. The number of Emperor Realm cultivators directly determined the sect's standing — one more or one less made a world of difference.
Gao Xueting's intent was clearly for Yang Kai to show his face more often and let people know that the Divine Temple had such an Emperor Realm powerhouse.
With things put this way, Yang Kai could only nod. "Very well, then this Junior Brother will go."
You Kun laughed heartily. "Junior Brother, don't look so unwilling. You should know that every martial competition is a gathering of Emperor Realm cultivators from all over. Privately, there will be all sorts of exchange meets and auctions. You might just stumble upon some good finds. Why else do you think the Divine Temple is sending so many Elders?"
So there was this consideration as well. But Yang Kai was actually quite wealthy now — he could support over a hundred thousand people, so what need did he have to hunt for treasures? He could only smile and nod. "Senior Brother You speaks truly."
"Then it's settled. Everyone, go back and make your preparations. We set out in one month."
With all matters settled, the crowd dispersed.
Yang Kai caught hold of Di Rong and informed him that he wanted to visit the Technique Pavilion to copy some cultivation techniques and secret arts. Di Rong naturally agreed at once and personally led Yang Kai there.
After a busy half-day and spending a fair number of Contribution Points, Yang Kai left the Technique Pavilion satisfied. He didn't rush off but instead gathered several Elders he was familiar with and hosted a banquet at his Spirit Sword Peak.
He hadn't dared to invite Gao Xueting — not because he didn't want to give her face, but mainly because of what had happened the last time she'd been drinking. It had scared Yang Kai witless. This woman usually appeared dignified and graceful, but once she'd had a drink she was like a completely different person, almost unbearable to watch.
The last time an incident had occurred, Qiu Ran had docked the contributions of all the Elders involved, and only Yang Kai, as a first-time offender, had gone unpunished. How could he dare invite her now?
As luck would have it, she came on her own, planting herself at the table. The guests exchanged helpless glances and, as if by unspoken agreement, quietly stowed the wine jars away. The meal was utterly without flavor.
Yang Kai stayed at Qingyang Divine Temple for two days. On the third, one hundred Daoyuan Realm and three hundred Void King Realm cultivators had been selected and organized, and all reported to Spirit Sword Peak.
When Yang Kai appeared, a thunderous chorus boomed forth like toppling mountains and collapsing pillars: "Greetings, Elder Yang!"
His Divine Sense swept over the crowd. Yang Kai clasped his hands behind his back and nodded with satisfaction. All four hundred were in excellent spirits, and the Divine Temple hadn't been careless about their cultivation levels. Regardless of gender, they were all elite talents. In truth, any warrior admitted to Qingyang Divine Temple would have decent aptitude — the Temple wouldn't accept those who were too lacking.
Qiu Ran and Gao Xueting stood to one side. After greeting the two of them, Yang Kai addressed the four hundred disciples. "You've likely heard from the Vice Temple Master about what's happening. This time, you're being invited to Lingxiao Palace in the Northern Domain to serve as instructors. I hope you'll give it your all. This Elder will not treat you unfairly."
"Yes!" the crowd thundered in unison.
Yang Kai turned his head. "Senior Brother Qiu and Senior Sister Gao, do you have anything to add?"
Qiu Ran stepped forward. "From this moment on, no matter what you see, keep it to yourselves. Even among fellow disciples, you must not let anything slip. If I find out otherwise, I will not spare the offender."
"Understood!" The disciples exchanged puzzled looks, unsure why Qiu Ran had issued such a warning.
Yang Kai, however, knew it had to do with the cross-domain spatial teleportation array. It seemed the Divine Temple valued this array even more than he'd imagined and was determined to keep it secret. Yang Kai didn't really mind — it was already exposed, and without him personally activating it or possessing the proper token, no one could operate it anyway.
"Move out!" Qiu Ran swept his sleeve and took the lead, with everyone following close behind.
Before long they arrived at the cave entrance at the rear of the mountain. Yang Kai instructed the four hundred to enter in groups of ten, standing upon the formation.
There was no other way — the cave's interior was too small, and the array that could be deployed was limited in scale. Ten people per teleportation was the maximum.
Qiu Ran and Gao Xueting watched eagerly from the side, clearly straining to see more clearly.