The Alchemy True Secret was far too vast and profound. Within it lay not only all manner of miraculous alchemy spirit formations but also the accumulated life's work and hard-won insights of countless alchemy grandmasters. These things were enough to keep Yang Kai occupied for a lifetime, but extracting that information from the Alchemy True Secret required an enormous amount of Divine Sense.
Naturally, Divine Sense could be rapidly strengthened through the cycle of depletion and recovery.
Time flew by. With a massive stockpile of resources at his disposal, both Yang Kai's cultivation and his Divine Sense were growing at a visible pace.
Every morning at sunrise, Yang Kai would run through a set of Proud Bone Golden Body techniques. At the same time, he would consume a single drop of the Myriad Medicine Spirit Liquid each day.
After such a long period of accumulation, the marrow-cleansing and meridian-refining effects of the Myriad Medicine Spirit Liquid had fully manifested. His cultivation was now faster and far more efficient than before.
Moreover, this benefit would last a lifetime, bringing endless returns. As his strength grew in the future, the advantages of continuing to take a daily drop of the Myriad Medicine Spirit Liquid would only compound.
A snowball effect!
War City, due east — the estate of the eldest son, Yang Wei.
Having emerged from several days of secluded cultivation, Yang Wei felt the urge to stretch his legs. He stepped out of his quarters and immediately spotted Meng Shanyi of the Meng family standing in his courtyard. The man seemed to have been waiting for him to come out — he paced back and forth, brow furrowed, clearly lost in thought.
"Brother Meng." Yang Wei called out.
"Young Master!" Upon hearing the call, Meng Shanyi's face lit up with delight. He hurried over, then looked Yang Wei up and down with brightening eyes. "Young Master, it seems your cultivation has made another breakthrough."
Yang Wei gave a slight nod, his tone casual. "Mm. I'm about to break through to the second level of the Shenyou Realm. Should be within the next few days."
Meng Shanyi felt a mixture of admiration and envy. Though he was the eldest legitimate son of the Meng family and possessed decent talent, he had only just reached the ninth level of the True Essence realm so far. He was close to breaking through to the Shenyou Realm himself, but he still couldn't compare to Yang Wei, the eldest of the Yang family.
The younger generation in the Central Capital really had quite a few geniuses! Meng Shanyi sighed inwardly.
There was no need to mention the Liu family's Liu Qingyao. The eldest miss of the Qiu family, Qiu Yimeng, had broken through to the first level of the Shenyou Realm two months ago. As for the rest, none had reached the Shenyou Realm yet, but most were on the verge.
This realization brought Meng Shanyi a growing sense of crisis.
Granted, as a young master of the Meng family, it didn't matter much even if his personal strength was lacking. But what man didn't want to become powerful?
"What brings you here?" Yang Wei asked.
"Well, Young Master, ever since you arrived in War City you've been in seclusion. It's been four days now, and I felt I should give you an update on what's been happening outside."
Yang Wei nodded slightly and turned to lead the way. "Come inside and talk."
Inside the room, the two sat across from each other at a table. Yang Wei remained silent, listening as Meng Shanyi recounted the events of the first night of the succession struggle at Yang Tie's estate. His expression never flickered, as though everything had been exactly as he'd anticipated.
But when he heard that Yang Kai had burst onto the scene — not only seizing the battle flag but spiriting people away as well — his eyes narrowed faintly, a sharp gleam flashing through them. Finally, a hint of surprise surfaced on his face.
Meng Shanyi smiled ruefully. "Your ninth brother is far too unpredictable. Yang Kang and Yang Ying tried to pull a fast one and ended up taking a serious loss. Besides, he apparently sent Yang Tie back to the Central Capital instead of holding him to ransom for supplies."
"He did that?" Yang Wei said, genuinely surprised.
"That's what I mean by unpredictable." Meng Shanyi shook his head repeatedly. "I simply can't tell what his next move will be. I originally thought he'd press his advantage while the others were still recovering, going after Yang Quan in one fell swoop, but he's been idle for days now."
"If he's smart, he shouldn't do that!" Yang Wei's eyes flickered.
"Mm. At first I didn't understand, but thinking about it later, Yang Kai clearly doesn't want to make himself a target by standing out too tall. That's why he's held back." A look of admiration appeared on Meng Shanyi's face. "He sees further ahead than I do."
"Don't underestimate my ninth brother. I have a feeling something about him isn't quite right." Yang Wei furrowed his brow as he recalled the first time he had seen him before the Elder Hall — the moment when his own True Essence had involuntarily trembled.
"Young Master, you mean..."
"Ninth brother may be the greatest threat — even more formidable than Second Brother!"
"No way?" Meng Shanyi's face was full of disbelief, as if he thought Yang Wei was greatly overestimating Yang Kai. "Sure, quite a few people have gone to pledge themselves to him these past few days, but the same is true for every young master's estate. The friends you made during your years away, Young Master — they've all gathered here too. They all want to see you."
"Mm." Yang Wei nodded gently. "I'll go arrange a meeting with them shortly."
Meng Shanyi couldn't help asking with a note of excitement, "Does Young Master have something in mind?"
"Something in mind?" Yang Wei looked at him with puzzlement.
Meng Shanyi frowned. "Don't you want to attack Yang Quan? Yang Kai isn't willing to grow too conspicuous right now and draw too much attention. Aside from you, everyone else is recovering. This is a rare opportunity! If you bring your friends over there, I don't think Yang Quan would dare resist. After all, you're the eldest — the other brothers all respect you."