Two updates today, last day of the month — please send in your monthly votes!!!!
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Both Yang Kai and Xia Ningshang were mid-grade saint-tier alchemists, but the amount of time and resources each had devoted to the art of alchemy were entirely different.
For the past ten years, Xia Ningshang had been trailing behind Meng Wuya, dashing from one place to another with scarcely a stable stretch of days to devote to refining her alchemy. Moreover, Manager Meng could not gather alchemy ingredients as effortlessly as Yang Kai, nor could he recklessly burn through resources on pill refinement the way Yang Kai could.
It could be said that Yang Kai's growth as an alchemist to his current level had been built entirely on time and a staggering volume of materials.
Yet the little senior sister was a prodigy born with a unique physique. The time she had spent on alchemy and the spirit herbs she had consumed amounted to perhaps only a fraction of Yang Kai's — and yet she had reached the same saint-grade mid-tier level.
Placed side by side, the difference in talent was unmistakable.
Beyond his astonishment, Yang Kai was brimming with joy. The stronger his little senior sister became, the happier he was.
Unlike other men, who dreaded being outshone by the women they fancied, Yang Kai found it all the more satisfying.
"Relax — from now on you'll have plenty of medicinal herbs here to practice with. I'm sure your alchemy will improve in no time, and before long you'll reach Old Li's level!" Yang Kai flashed a grin, extended a finger, and sent a sphere of pure white light drifting toward Xia Ningshang's spiritual soul body. "This contains the full knowledge of the True Alchemy Scripture. Spend some time comprehending it, little senior sister."
"Understood." Xia Ningshang opened herself up without reservation, letting the luminous sphere carrying the True Alchemy Scripture merge into her spiritual soul body. She immediately fell into meditation.
Yang Kai did not disturb her. He slipped quietly out of the room.
Leaving his quarters, he strolled into the main hall of the Holy Lord's Garden.
An Ling'er was holding a ledger, apparently tallying the Holy Land's recent haul, her pretty face brimming with elation.
Yang Kai's arrival did not startle her. She kept her head down, absorbed in the work before her, continuously recording entries.
Only when Yang Kai sat down across from her and poured himself a cup of water did An Ling'er glance up. She pressed her lips together and smiled. "What's this? Reunited after so long, and you couldn't stay together a bit longer? It's only been two days — how come you're already out?"
Yang Kai's expression turned sheepish. "I said everything that needed saying. What else was I supposed to do?"
"Just talked?" An Ling'er pursed her lips.
"What did you think we were doing in there?" Yang Kai noticed her peculiar expression and immediately realized she must be entertaining some unusual thoughts in her head.
"Who knows? A lone man and a lone woman, shut away together — dry wood and blazing fire, that's perfectly normal," An Ling'er said, clearly in fine spirits. She teased him openly.
"Don't tell me you're jealous?" Yang Kai stared at her in surprise.
An Ling'er spat softly. "Don't flatter yourself. The elders all think we're in that kind of relationship — just don't take it seriously."
"You're probably the first Holy Maiden to ever dare speak to the Holy Lord like that," Yang Kai chuckled.
"That's what happens when you're nothing like the previous Holy Lords. You gave up that chance yourself. Anyway, enough nonsense — here's all the Holy Land's income for this period. Want to take a look?"
"Let me see." Yang Kai casually picked up the ledger in front of her. His eyes swept across it — the pages were densely packed with records of which alchemist had refined which pill on which day, what compensation had been received, every detail logged down to the smallest entry.
The compensation mostly consisted of equivalent spirit stones, though there were quite a few rare materials as well — even Artifacts, secret manuals, and cultivation techniques of all sorts, a bizarre assortment.
Yang Kai's head began to throb. He tossed the ledger back. "Forget it — you keep the records."
His divine sense swept through the Holy Lord's Garden, and he asked in surprise, "Where's Manager Meng? Why isn't he here?"
Only at his question did An Ling'er remember. "Now that you mention it, I almost forgot. That senior Meng said he needed to go away for a while and told you to look after his disciple well. He also said that if you dared bully his disciple, he'd make sure you'd regret it."
"He left? When did he go? Did he say when he'd be back?"
"He left yesterday. As for when he'll return, he didn't say." An Ling'er shook her head.
Yang Kai couldn't help furrowing his brow. Though he didn't know why Meng Wuya had departed almost immediately upon arriving at the Holy Land, he vaguely sensed something unusual behind it — probably connected to the bizarre world they had entered earlier, and perhaps even to the words spoken by the Great Demon God's clone.
Still, Manager Meng's strength had now recovered to its peak. As long as he didn't go challenge a Demon Lord in the Demon Capital the way he once had, there should be no danger.
While he was lost in thought, Xu Hui suddenly strode in from outside and announced in a clear voice, "Holy Lord, Wu Jie requests an audience!"
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "Wu Jie?"
"Something seems to have happened — his expression is somewhat off," Xu Hui reported.
"Let him in," Yang Kai said quickly.
It had been several months since his last parting with that fellow Wu Jie. But according to Xu Hui and the others, Wu Jie's Nether Sect had grown dramatically after absorbing considerable elite forces from Poxuan Manor and the Battle Soul Hall. Its development momentum was strong.
A moment later, Wu Jie materialized in his black robe, his figure ghost-like. He cupped his fists. "Holy Lord!"