Those long-lost spirit formation diagrams contained immense wealth. Although no one knew exactly what functions these diagrams served, once they were studied carefully back home, their secrets would be thoroughly revealed.
With the mystery of the beast hide unlocked, everyone was overjoyed.
Du Wan’s eyes darted about, and he chuckled, "Gentlemen, cracking the secrets of these spirit formation diagrams this time was all thanks to Yang Kai’s efforts. Without him, you’d probably have gone to your graves without ever achieving this. Now that you’re satisfied, shouldn’t you show some appreciation?"
"What appreciation?" He Feng’s eyes bulged.
Chang Bao quickly clutched his Qiankun bag, eyeing Du Wan with extreme wariness.
Last time, these same individuals had lost a bet to Du Wan in Floating Cloud City, resulting in something being taken from their Qiankun bags by Yang Kai. Hearing Du Wan say something like this now immediately put them on high alert.
Ignoring them, Du Wan turned to Yang Kai and smiled. "These old friends of mine have always been generous. You’ve gone to a lot of trouble to solve their puzzle, so I think they should give you some thanks… Hmm, but don’t take too much. Just a small token of appreciation will do."
Hearing this, the four men’s faces fell. They secretly cursed Du Wan as an ungrateful glutton.
Kong Ruoyu laughed helplessly. "Fine. As Brother Du says, we’ve indeed gained a great deal. Letting this kid benefit a little is harmless. Don’t all make such long faces. We’ve all gotten such a big advantage; we really should thank him."
With Kong Ruoyu speaking, the other three had little choice but to remain silent.
He Feng stammered at Yang Kai, "What do you want? Name it, and I’ll make sure you get it!"
Yang Kai glanced at his Qiankun bag, and He Feng couldn’t help but shudder.
Chang Bao and Hong Fang also held their breath, fearing Yang Kai would, once again, take something from their own bags.
Yang Kai chuckled and said heartily, "Your kindness is overwhelming. Then, I won’t be polite… Hmm, this time I won’t ask for any treasures from your Qiankun bags."
The three male alchemist masters relaxed visibly upon hearing this, their gazes toward Yang Kai becoming more amiable. They wore expressions that said, *At least the kid has some sense.*
"Then what do you want?" Du Wan asked, surprised. "These old friends of mine are wealthy enough to rival nations. This is a rare opportunity—it won’t come again."
"Du Wan, shut up and let the kid state his terms," Chang Bao snapped, glaring at him.
"Fine, fine, I’ll be quiet!" Du Wan sighed, resigned. He immediately fell silent.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment and then said, "How about this? You are all Saint Grade, low-tier alchemists. As payment for unraveling that spirit formation diagram, could each of you refine one Saint Pill for me?"
"Refine a Saint Pill?" Chang Bao’s face twitched.
"Yes. Refine a Saint Pill," Yang Kai nodded seriously.
"Saint Pills aren’t easy to refine," He Feng stroked his chin. Even though they were Saint Grade alchemists, refining a Saint Pill still carried significant risk and was highly likely to fail. The process was also time-consuming and laborious.
That was why every Saint Pill in the world was incredibly valuable.
"Good idea!" Du Wan suddenly perked up, his gaze intense as he looked at the other four. "Gentlemen, it’s been a long time since we’ve had a competition, hasn’t it? Why not take this opportunity to compete? Let Yang Kai and Ye Xiong be our judges and see which of us refines a better Saint Pill."
"Du Wan, is it because you’re about to advance to Saint Grade, mid-tier that you’ve stopped taking us seriously?" He Feng chuckled dryly.
"I wouldn’t dare… It’s just a rare chance, and my hands are itching to try."
"Fine. I support Brother Du’s proposal. It’s been far too long since we last had a contest," Kong Ruoyu chimed, also growing interested.
"I have no objections," Hong Fang shrugged.
"Then it’s settled. Oh dear, spare my old bones…" Chang Bao grumbled as he shifted his bulky frame.
"Everyone, please follow me," Du Wan laughed heartily, looking quite pleased. He spoke as he strode out, and the others followed.
Yang Kai’s request for them to refine Saint Pills wasn’t actually for the pills themselves.
He could now refine Saint Grade pills as well. While it wasn’t easy and the ingredients were hard to find, Yang Kai’s Black Book space held a rich store. He truly didn’t place much value on just a few Saint Pills.
What he wanted was to observe the insights and techniques these alchemist masters displayed during the refinement process. By watching, he could absorb their experience.
The masters all understood this, so they didn’t refuse. Not only did they agree readily, but they also secretly resolved to display their most exquisite techniques when they began refining.