After exchanging a few more words, Yang Kai was about to take his leave when he suddenly remembered something and turned back. "Oh right, Master — has the Tiger Roar Sect sent anything over?"
Su Changfa shook his head. "Nothing has arrived."
Yang Kai nodded lightly. "This disciple takes his leave."
Once outside the hall, Yang Kai dismissed the junior brothers and sisters who had been standing guard, telling them to go cultivate on their own, leaving only Wan Yingying behind. Shi Minghui hurriedly stepped forward. "Sir!"
While walking ahead, Yang Kai asked Wan Yingying, "Did the medicinal herbs I sent two junior brothers down the mountain to purchase arrive?"
"They did," Wan Yingying replied. "But we didn't know how to handle them, so we left everything at your cave residence, Senior Brother."
"Mm." Yang Kai acknowledged this and led the two toward his cave residence.
A short while later, outside the cave, Yang Kai told Shi Minghui to wait where he was and brought Wan Yingying inside.
The reason he had sent two junior brothers down the mountain to buy herbs was primarily to prepare some body-tempering medicines. The Xuling Sword Sect was not only short on manpower but its disciples' cultivation levels were also quite low. Although Yang Kai had already passed down the improved Xuling Art, the effects wouldn't be visible in the short term.
Still, cultivation required a steady, solid foundation. Preparing body-tempering medicines to supplement his junior brothers' and sisters' training could help lay a strong groundwork for them.
This wasn't something Yang Kai could handle alone forever — Wan Yingying was a good candidate, and the work of preparing medicines could be taught to her.
Inside the cave residence, Yang Kai skillfully sorted the various herbs into categories while patiently explaining everything to Wan Yingying. Fortunately, this junior sister had decent talent. Though she had never dealt with medicinal preparation before, she picked things up quickly under Yang Kai's clear and accessible explanations.
He guided her through preparing several batches of medicine, and her performance was quite commendable.
The process wasn't complicated — it hadn't reached the level of pill refinement. It was simply a matter of mixing different herbs in specific proportions. When the time came to use them, the herbs were boiled with water, allowing their medicinal properties to dissolve, so that his junior brothers and sisters could absorb the medicinal essence during their cultivation and strengthen their physical bodies.
"You can keep an eye on everyone in the sect and see if any of the junior brothers or sisters are interested in alchemy. I'll find an opportunity to teach you pill refinement down the road," Yang Kai said casually while instructing Wan Yingying.
The Divine Weapon World did have alchemists, and their status was quite high. However, a small sect like the Xuling Sword Sect couldn't possibly afford to support one. The dozens of bottles of pills Yang Kai had previously found in the treasury had all been purchased at considerable cost from elsewhere.
"Senior Brother, you know alchemy too?" Wan Yingying asked in surprise.
Yang Kai chuckled. "You know the ancestor transmitted his teachings to me across the void. The ancestor was omniscient — I've only scratched the surface."
"Oh!" Wan Yingying accepted this without a shred of doubt.
After confirming that Wan Yingying's proportions and techniques for preparing the body-tempering medicines were all correct, Yang Kai left the remaining work to her and stepped outside the cave residence.
Shi Minghui was still waiting and hurriedly approached.
Yang Kai glanced at him and said flatly, "How does the Tiger Roar Sect's strength compare to your Tianluo Manor?"
"Not much difference," Shi Minghui replied respectfully. "The Tiger Roar Sect Master, Zhuang Juhe, also has a ninth-level Earth Tier cultivation. Both the left and right Protectors are at the eighth level of Earth Tier, and several Elders are all at the fourth level of Earth Tier or above! But before you, Sir, such forces are nothing more than chickens and dogs. Are you planning to move against the Tiger Roar Sect?"
He had personally witnessed Shu Wancheng, a ninth-level Earth Tier cultivator, killed in an instant before Yang Kai. Zhuang Juhe was probably no stronger than Shu Wancheng at best — how could he possibly be Yang Kai's match?
"They owe me something," Yang Kai gave a soft snort. That Wan Tianhe sure had talked a big game before leaving last time — saying he would come another day to apologize and atone, and that he would make sure Yang Kai was satisfied. Yet days had passed without so much as a shadow of him. Did they think Yang Kai was young and easy to push around?
"Debts must be repaid — that's only right and proper!" Shi Minghui declared with righteous indignation. "If I may be honest with you, Sir — that Wan Tianhe from the Tiger Roar Sect previously contacted us. He was the one who informed us about the killing of Third Elder Zhan Boxiong and the emergence of the Qingxu Sword. The man is despicable and scheming — he clearly wanted to provoke a conflict between your Tianluo Manor and yourself, Sir, so the Tiger Roar Sect could profit from the chaos."
"Is that so..." The corner of Yang Kai's mouth curved upward.
"Absolutely true," Shi Minghui swore earnestly.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, then looked at him. "If I were to send you to deal with the Tiger Roar Sect..."
Shi Minghui's face stiffened immediately, and he forced a laugh. "You see clearly, Sir. The Tiger Roar Sect has been established for over a hundred years with deep, solid foundations. Even if my Tianluo Manor sent every last elite, we might not come out on top on their home turf."
"Useless, the lot of you!" Yang Kai said with an exasperated expression. "I'll have to handle it myself. What use are you!"
Shi Minghui didn't dare utter a word.
"Where is the Tiger Roar Sect's headquarters? Lead the way — we leave now." Yang Kai gave the order. He happened to be running low on cultivation resources, and mining at the Black Jade Mine would take time anyway. A little raid on the Tiger Roar Sect sounded just fine.
Besides, the Tiger Roar Sect surely had plenty of manpower. Dragging them back to dig in the mines would boost efficiency considerably.
Two swift horses soon departed from the Xuling Sword Sect.