"Senior Brother Gao has left?" Yang Kai was taken aback.
He had indeed heard Gao Xinpeng mention a few days ago that he would be heading out for a trip, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
"The order came suddenly from the Sect. Master Gao had no choice but to depart," the apprentice replied respectfully.
"I see." Yang Kai nodded, thought for a moment, then asked the apprentice for directions to the Sacred Fire Hall before heading straight down the mountain.
The apprentice had even thoughtfully offered to accompany him, but collecting a Pill Fire shouldn't be much of a hassle. Besides, Gao Xinpeng had already put in a word with the Sacred Fire Hall, so Yang Kai declined the offer.
The Sacred Fire Hall was situated in a valley, surrounded by numerous guards. Yang Kai was stopped and questioned several times along the way, but once he presented his identity badge, the guards respectfully stepped aside.
Before long, Yang Kai arrived at a palace complex. Entering the main hall, he immediately spotted two people in conversation on the other side. One wore the attire of a Heavenly Alchemist from the Profound Dan Sect, flanked by two guards — clearly, like himself, a Heavenly Alchemist of the Profound Dan Sect.
The other wore a fitted black outfit, his aura restrained, making it impossible to discern his exact cultivation. However, Yang Kai could faintly sense that this was a Spirit Grade cultivator.
The black-clad Spirit Grade was saying, "Since everything is in order for Alchemist Wei, I wish you swift success."
The one called Alchemist Wei cupped his fists with a smile. "I thank the Vice Hall Master for his auspicious words. This time, I'm certain to succeed — I've been preparing for a full two years."
"Alchemist Wei, you may go. Someone at the Sacred Fire Cave will guide you down." The black-clad Spirit Grade gave a slight nod.
Alchemist Wei nodded in return and led his Blood Servant toward the door. On his way out, he glanced at Yang Kai, a hint of curiosity and puzzlement in his eyes — presumably because Yang Kai looked unfamiliar — but said nothing further.
After Alchemist Wei departed, the black-clad Spirit Grade turned his gaze to Yang Kai, looking him up and down. "You must be Alchemist Yang?"
"You know me?" Yang Kai asked, surprised.
The black-clad Spirit Grade smiled. "There are only so many Heavenly Alchemists in the Sect, and I've met them all. The only one I hadn't met was the newly inducted Alchemist Yang. Master Gao already gave me a heads-up yesterday."
Yang Kai understood. "So that's how it is. How should I address you?"
"I am Wu Zhengqi, Vice Hall Master of the Sacred Fire Hall!"
"Vice Hall Master Wu!" Yang Kai cupped his fists in greeting, thinking that it was no wonder this man was a Spirit Grade cultivator — as Vice Hall Master of the Sacred Fire Hall, such cultivation was hardly surprising.
"Alchemist Yang, you're here to collect a Pill Fire?" Wu Zhengqi asked.
"That's right," Yang Kai nodded. "Senior Brother Gao said that now that I've joined the Sect, collecting a Pill Fire should be my first priority."
Though Wu Zhengqi was not an alchemist, having spent years in the Profound Dan Sect — an alchemists' Sect — he naturally had some knowledge of such matters. Hearing this, he said, "If Master Gao gave you such guidance, then he's certainly right."
"However, this is my first time visiting the Sacred Fire Hall. Is there anything I need to prepare?" Yang Kai asked earnestly.
Wu Zhengqi chuckled. "No preparation is needed. The Sacred Fire Cave is a rather special place. It houses the various Pill Fires that the Sect has collected throughout its history. All you need to do is enter and sense your surroundings. You'll find a Pill Fire that suits you, and the Pill Fires, in turn, will seek out a master suited to them."
Yang Kai was baffled. "The Pill Fires have some form of consciousness?"
Wu Zhengqi laughed. "Pill Fires are inanimate objects — how could they have consciousness? It's just… the Sacred Fire Cave is unique. It was constructed through the tremendous efforts of our Profound Dan Sect's past generations and is one of the very foundations upon which our Sect was built. I'm not an alchemist, so I don't fully understand the mysteries behind it, but every alchemist who goes to collect a Pill Fire experiences the same thing. There's no need to worry, Alchemist Yang. Moreover, the more exceptional one's talent, the better the Pill Fire one can obtain."
"Pill Fires are ranked in grades too?" Yang Kai caught the implication.
"Of course." Wu Zhengqi looked at him with some surprise, as if wondering how a Heavenly Alchemist could be unaware of such common knowledge. "Pill Fires, much like us martial artists, are divided into four tiers: Human, Earth, Heaven, and Spirit. However, although they have tiers, Pill Fires can devour other Pill Fires to advance. So even if one obtains a Human-grade Pill Fire, with sufficient opportunity and effort, it can eventually be elevated to a Spirit-grade Pill Fire. Furthermore, Pill Fires of the same tier can also vary in strength. Hmm, if Alchemist Yang wishes to learn more about these matters, you might want to visit the Sect's Scripture Hall in your spare time — they have detailed records on all manner of Pill Fires."
"Thank you for the guidance, Vice Hall Master Wu." Yang Kai expressed his genuine gratitude — this was truly knowledge he had not possessed before. "From what you're saying, there are Spirit-grade Pill Fires within the Sacred Fire Cave?"
"Indeed!" Wu Zhengqi nodded. "The Pill Fires possessed by past Elders were all Spirit-grade Fires. Before their lifespans ended, they would find a way to separate the Spirit Fire from themselves and place it in the Sacred Fire Cave. Though this process causes some loss to the Spirit Fire — it can even degrade into a Heaven-grade Fire — over the long years, some Spirit Fires have been preserved. That said, I wouldn't recommend that Alchemist Yang attempt to collect a Spirit Fire. After all, the power of a Spirit Fire is tremendous, and if your strength isn't sufficient, you could very well suffer injury."
"I'm aware of that. But with so many Pill Fires gathered together, wouldn't there be problems? You mentioned earlier that Pill Fires can devour other Pill Fires to advance…"
Wu Zhengqi shook his head. "Pill Fires that return to the Sacred Fire Cave are placed under restrictions. They won't devour each other — otherwise, the Sacred Fire Cave would have ceased to exist long ago."
"So that's how it is!" Yang Kai realized, then added, still somewhat concerned, "Are you sure there's nothing I need to prepare? I noticed that Alchemist Wei from earlier said he'd been preparing for two years."