Lock Moon Peak was a spiritual peak where the Mysterious Pill Gate's Heaven Grade Alchemists gathered. Only a handful of them—three or five at most—resided here.
Gao Xinpeng lived on this very peak. The cluster of palaces on the left side of the summit was his territory. Though the Mysterious Pill Gate had no shortage of spiritual peaks, it wasn't so extravagant as to assign one to every Heaven Grade Alchemist. Only those who had reached the Spirit Grade Alchemist level were qualified to claim a peak as their own.
There were a dozen or two peaks like Lock Moon Peak across the entire Mysterious Pill Gate. In other words, the sect possessed at least several dozen to a hundred Heaven Grade Alchemists.
That was a truly terrifying number.
Besides Gao Xinpeng, two other Heaven Grade Alchemists resided on Lock Moon Peak, each choosing their preferred spot—some carving out cave dwellings, while others, like Gao Xinpeng, built palaces to live in.
There was an unoccupied cave dwelling here as well. After asking Yang Kai for his opinion, Gao Xinpeng brought him to it.
"This cave dwelling originally belonged to a senior brother of mine," Gao Xinpeng explained as he led Yang Kai through the dwelling, giving him a tour. "However, more than ten years ago, his lifespan ran out and he passed away, leaving this place vacant. It's situated midway up the peak, but the spiritual energy of heaven and earth here is excellent, and the surroundings are quite pleasant. It's only half a peak's distance from where I live, so it'll be convenient for you and me to visit each other in the future."
Yang Kai had passed the Mysterious Pill Gate's trials without issue. He was now officially a thirty-fourth-generation disciple of the sect, and thus fully qualified to have a dwelling of his own within its grounds.
Gao Xinpeng had been the one to bring Yang Kai into the Mysterious Pill Gate and was the only person Yang Kai knew there. The sect's higher-ups had thus delegated all these administrative details to him.
He accepted the task gladly enough. After all, Yang Kai's aptitude was plain for all to see, and he was more than happy to build a good relationship with him.
Everything inside the cave dwelling was preserved just as the previous owner had left it. It was clear that someone came by regularly to clean, for though no one had lived here for a long time, it remained as neat and tidy as new.
Yang Kai had no complaints about the place. After following Gao Xinpeng on a full circuit to familiarize himself with his new home, he cupped his fists and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother."
Gao Xinpeng laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "We're family—don't stand on ceremony. It's getting late, so rest here tonight. Tomorrow I'll come by and take you to claim your identity token and get registered. Besides, since you've just joined the sect, there are still quite a few administrative matters to sort out... We'll go over the details when the time comes."
"Sounds good!" Yang Kai nodded.
After seeing Gao Xinpeng off, Yang Kai took another leisurely stroll through his cave dwelling, found a spot to rest, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.
The fact that he had passed the Mysterious Pill Gate's senior examination so smoothly today—Yang Kai figured that the pill recipes he possessed had played a major part. Just as Gao Xinpeng had said before, pill recipes were the best proof. Any faction's pill recipes were closely guarded secrets, never shared with outsiders. A precious recipe like the Ten-Turn Heartless Pill, in particular—his earlier pill refining had been more than enough to prove his connection to the Mysterious Pill Gate's lineage.
The other reason, he supposed, was the aptitude he had demonstrated.
Even if the Mysterious Pill Gate's higher-ups had harbored any doubts, Yang Kai's exceptional talent would have been enough to sway them. A person of such caliber—even if he had no connection to the Mysterious Pill Gate whatsoever—they would have found a way to keep him around.
Since he had already passed the test, there was nothing more to worry about.
The next day, Gao Xinpeng came by early, personally escorting Yang Kai to complete his registration. He collected an identity token and a few miscellaneous supplies on Yang Kai's behalf.
By the time everything was sorted out, it was already midday.
The two returned to Lock Moon Peak, where Gao Xinpeng had already prepared a feast. It served a dual purpose—to celebrate Yang Kai officially becoming a disciple of the Mysterious Pill Gate, and to welcome him.
The two chatted and laughed merrily over the feast. After several rounds of wine, Gao Xinpeng said, "Junior Brother, the higher-ups understand that you've just arrived and aren't yet familiar with the sect, so they've given you a month to prepare. After that month, you'll need to go to the Pill Inquiry Pavilion and register for pill refining, just like every other Heaven Grade Alchemist."
Yang Kai's expression turned serious. "What exactly do I need to prepare?"
Gao Xinpeng chuckled. "Quite a lot, actually. I was just about to bring this up." He took a sip of wine, set down his cup, and continued, "If you're going to register for pill refining, you'll need herb attendants to assist you. You don't have any herb attendants yet, do you?"
Yang Kai shook his head.
"For those of us in the pill refining profession, herb attendants are quite important. They serve as our assistants in handling minor tasks, but they're also disciples we personally train. And since their work is closely tied to pill refining, they need to have at least a basic understanding of medicinal theory—not just anyone can fill the role." Gao Xinpeng wiped his mouth. "Of course, this is an easy problem to solve. The Mysterious Pill Gate may not have much else in abundance, but there's no shortage of newly admitted disciples each year. Junior Brother, you can simply go and pick out a few herb attendants who catch your eye. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to serve alongside a Heaven Grade Alchemist."
Yang Kai thought for a moment, then asked, "Besides the sect's own disciples, can I look for herb attendants outside?"