In the Grand Hall of the Void Spirit Sword Sect, Yang Kai sat in the seat of honor with an easy, commanding air. To his left sat the upper echelon of the Heavenly Net Manor, led by Manor Master Li Zhengqing. To his right was another group headed by Zhuang Juhe, Master of the Tiger Roar Gate.
The two factions sat in clear, distinct rows. Every person in attendance was a martial artist of at least the fourth layer of the Earth Grade.
A full month had passed since Yang Kai's ascension to the Heaven Grade, and quite a bit had happened in that time.
The development that had impacted the Void Spirit Sword Sect the most was, naturally, the retirement of the old Sect Master Su Changfa and the succession of the young generation's First Disciple, Yang Kai, to the position of new Sect Master.
This was what everyone had expected. Looking across the entire Void Spirit Sword Sect, Yang Kai was the sole Heaven Grade cultivator, the strongest in power, and so young at that—sooner or later he would have taken up the mantle of Sect Master regardless. Su Changfa had simply accelerated the inevitable by a few months.
What's more, the Void Spirit Sword Sect's vast current holdings were all the result of Yang Kai's personal efforts. The Tiger Roar Gate and the Heavenly Net Manor had both become subsidiary branches of the sect, and every major family and minor sect within a thousand-li radius now looked to the Void Spirit Sword Sect as their leader. The sect truly needed a more powerful Sect Master to serve as both a deterrent and a symbol.
Su Changfa was old. He was gratified to have personally witnessed the Void Spirit Sword Sect's rise, but he no longer had the energy to manage the sect's affairs. Yang Kai, brimming with vigor and ambition, was perfectly suited to carry the enterprise forward.
So Su Changfa held a brief discussion with Gu Kangning and Hong Xiu, and readily decided to pass the position to Yang Kai—whether Yang Kai agreed to it or not.
The succession ceremony had taken place half a month ago. Every major faction within a thousand li had sent representatives to offer their congratulations, and the affair had been quite a lively affair.
Beyond that, news of Yang Kai's refinement of the Ten-Turn Heartless Pill in Heavenly Martial City had spread like wildfire among the upper ranks of both the Tiger Roar Gate and the Heavenly Net Manor.
This sort of thing couldn't be kept secret, and Yang Kai had never intended to.
So when Du Youyou and Shi Minghui—one deliberately, the other perhaps inadvertently—let the information slip, Yang Kai hadn't paid it much mind. But it had thrown the higher-ups of the Tiger Roar Gate and the Heavenly Net Manor into quite a stir.
In recent days, these people's attitudes had grown noticeably more deferential and eager than before.
Previously, they had submitted to Yang Kai's fearsome authority only because he had forced them to take a poisonous pill—compliance under duress. Now things were different. Yang Kai was both a Heaven Grade powerhouse and a Heaven Tier Pill Master. Such a figure was a personage of tremendous standing across the entire Divine Weapon World.
If word got out, countless Heaven Grade martial artists would readily pledge themselves to his service.
In the Divine Weapon World, it was no shame at all for a Heaven Grade powerhouse to follow a Heaven Tier Pill Master. In fact, it was a universally accepted practice.
The reasoning was simple: Heaven Grade cultivators required vast quantities of resources for their practice, and Heaven Tier Pill Masters were invariably flush with wealth. So long as one attached oneself to a suitable Heaven Tier Pill Master, one's future cultivation resources would be taken care of entirely.
And most importantly of all—if the Heaven Tier Pill Master they followed eventually advanced to Spirit Tier Pill Master, then they themselves would stand a chance of obtaining a Hundred-Turn Heartless Pill and ascending to the Spirit Grade.
This was an act of forward-looking investment.
Gao Xinpeng kept two peak Heaven Grade guards at his side, both of whom were eagerly waiting for him to become a Spirit Tier Pill Master so they could have him refine Hundred-Turn Heartless Pills for them.
After all, Spirit Tier Pill Masters were rare across the entire Divine Weapon World. Even as peak Heaven Grade cultivators, approaching those Pill Masters to request pills was no guarantee of receiving anything.
The people of the Tiger Roar Gate and the Heavenly Net Manor understood the situation clearly. With Yang Kai's current status and standing, he could effortlessly recruit a great number of Heaven Grade powerhouses. Their handful of men were practically dispensable to him.
Having finally managed to latch onto the thigh of a Heaven Tier Pill Master, they had no intention of letting go.
In the Grand Hall, everyone sat ramrod straight in postures of absolute attention, like subordinates awaiting orders. Despite the large number of people present, the hall was so silent you could hear a pin drop—even breathing had been suppressed to the barest minimum.
None of them knew why Yang Kai had summoned them all here. Since his last return, Yang Kai had been in seclusion the entire time, appearing publicly only once at the succession ceremony before vanishing from sight once more.
Yang Kai cast his gaze around the hall, and seeing everyone in their posture of utmost respect, he nodded in satisfaction. "Li Zhengqing!"
The Heavenly Net Manor Master Li Zhengqing hurried to his feet and cupped his fists. "Your subordinate is here!"
"How many years have you been stuck at the peak of the Earth Grade?" Yang Kai asked offhandedly.
Li Zhengqing promptly replied, "Reporting to my lord—this old man has been at the peak of the Earth Grade for thirteen years since his last advancement."
Yang Kai nodded and turned to the other side. "And you, Zhuang Juhe?"
Zhuang Juhe, Master of the Tiger Roar Gate, also scrambled to his feet, managing an awkward smile. "I've fared a bit better than Brother Li, but it's been eight years for me as well."
Yang Kai said, "Heaven and Earth impose their own shackles, like chains binding a person. Until those shackles are broken, one can never hope to glimpse the secrets of the Heaven Grade." He raised a hand, and two streaks of light shot toward Li Zhengqing and Zhuang Juhe. "Take these and cultivate diligently. Don't disappoint me!"
Li Zhengqing and Zhuang Juhe caught the streaks of light, cast their eyes upon them, and were immediately overcome with excitement.