"Unlike the guards you recruit on your own, Blood Attendants can receive a certain amount of cultivation resources from the sect every month. You could say they're part of the sect's inner circle, and besides..." Gao Ming smiled here. "We can also get quite a few good things from the Pill Masters we serve, so over at the Blood Attendant Camp, everyone's desperate to be chosen by a Pill Master. Every time a Pill Master goes to select Blood Attendants, those guys get worked up like they've been injected with chicken blood!"
"That's understandable!" Yang Kai could imagine the scene. He glanced back at Hua Rong, who had been trailing behind them. "So you're saying I misunderstood her?"
Gao Ming said, "Regardless of whether there was a misunderstanding, you'd best not rashly take in someone of unknown origins. If you need a guard, Yang Kai, once we reach the sect, you can head to the Blood Attendant Camp and pick someone."
Yang Kai nodded slightly, then suddenly recalled something. "Are there any Spirit Rank guards in the Blood Attendant Camp?"
Gao Ming shook his head. "No. Across the entire Divine Weapon Realm, Spirit Rank is already the strongest combat force. Such people naturally wouldn't stay in the Blood Attendant Camp. That said, many Blood Attendants in the sect grew alongside the Pill Masters they serve, so the guards beside the sect's Elders are basically all Spirit Rank. You'll learn all about this once you arrive at the Xuandan Sect."
Yang Kai asked a few more questions about the Xuandan Sect, and Gao Ming answered each one. The main point was that Yang Kai wasn't asking about anything classified—there was no need to hide it. If it truly were something secret, someone of Gao Ming's status wouldn't have access to it anyway.
Yang Kai deliberately steered the conversation toward the master he'd fabricated. Gao Ming had no impression of that person of extraordinary seniority and unpredictable whereabouts, mainly because he'd still been in the Blood Attendant Camp back then and hadn't yet begun serving under Gao Xinpeng, so he'd never met that person at all.
Unable to dig up any useful information, Yang Kai could only let it go. In this situation, all he could do was take things one step at a time and try not to give anything away. He was still counting on getting the formula for the Hundred-Turn Heartless Pill from the Xuandan Sect.
They rode hard for three days before passing through the territory of Tianwu City. The two of them went together to visit Miao Hong and took the opportunity to rest for the night.
Miao Hong naturally received them with great hospitality. Upon hearing that Yang Kai was making this trip to acknowledge his ancestral lineage, he offered congratulations without end.
The next day, the two switched to faster horses and set out again.
The journey was uneventful. Gao Ming's peak Heaven Rank cultivation was no small thing, and being from the Xuandan Sect, no one dared cause them trouble.
Half a month later, the two finally arrived at the Xuandan Sect.
Towering mountains, magnificent and wondrous spirit peaks—as one of the Divine Weapon Realm's Ten Great Sects, the Xuandan Sect sat amid a vast mountain range. At the foot of the mountains lay a city called Xuandan City, bustling with activity.
According to Gao Ming, although the city was also the Xuandan Sect's property, it hadn't been intentionally built. Rather, it had gradually developed to its current scale over countless years of accumulation.
Every year, countless martial artists came here to have the Xuandan Sect's Pill Masters refine pills. Ordinary people couldn't enter the Xuandan Sect and could only wait at the foot of the mountains. Originally there had been no city here, but as people gathered, a small town slowly formed. Over the years, the city grew larger and larger, until today, Xuandan City was one of the largest cities in the entire Divine Weapon Realm.
Within Xuandan City, the most common shops were herb stores and pill shops. As long as a medicinal ingredient existed in the Divine Weapon Realm, you could basically find it here.
Before even entering the city, Yang Kai saw numerous people flying back and forth through the air and couldn't help clicking his tongue in amazement.
He was already at the Heaven Rank and could fly, but it consumed a great deal of spiritual energy. Under normal circumstances, Heaven Rank martial artists wouldn't do this unless absolutely necessary. Those who flew freely through the sky without a care were generally Spirit Rank powerhouses.
In other words, practically everyone he saw soaring up there was Spirit Rank.
These were the Divine Weapon Realm's strongest combat forces. Although there were differences in strength among them, for Heaven Rank cultivators, Spirit Rank was undoubtedly the goal to aspire to. At the very least, Yang Kai could see the longing in Gao Ming's eyes.
He was already at the peak of Heaven Rank—all he needed was a single Hundred-Turn Heartless Pill and he could advance to Spirit Rank!
Unfortunately, Gao Xinpeng wasn't yet a Spirit-grade Pill Master and had no way to refine it for him.
From Xuandan City outward, there was an exceptionally wide stone-paved road leading straight to the nearest mountain peak. Gao Ming led Yang Kai as they galloped along, unimpeded.
But Yang Kai noticed that along both sides of the road, quite a few people walked on foot—some heading up the mountain with eager, nervous expressions, others coming down with faces full of either elation or disappointment.
This stone road clearly had no restrictions or barriers, yet it seemed as though some invisible force kept those people from setting even half a foot upon it. And as Yang Kai and Gao Ming raced past, every one of those people cast looks of reverence and envy in their direction.
Seeming to notice Yang Kai's confusion, Gao Ming transmitted a voice explanation: "This road is exclusively for Xuandan Sect disciples. Non-disciples are not permitted to step on it. What you're seeing, Yang Kai, are mostly people going up the mountain to seek pills."
"So many people!" Yang Kai was astonished.
Gao Ming smiled. "Today's actually on the lighter side. There are times when there are far more."
Yang Kai understood, only now realizing why those people wore different expressions. Those who had obtained their pills were naturally happy; those who hadn't were bound to feel disappointed.
"The sect has set up a dedicated Pill Inquiry Pavilion. All these people go there to request pills. Once you have your own pill-refining credentials, you can register there as well and send your herb attendants to keep watch. If someone wants to commission you to refine pills, they'll hand over the materials to your attendants."