Chapter 1306, Persuasion

Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain

Yang Kai had thought that the situation would be quite troublesome to deal with, but after examining the Artifact Spirit, he discovered that it had fallen into a kind of deep sleep inside the Artifact Refining Furnace. Although it still appeared somewhat weak and injured, it wasn’t as serious as Yang Kai had imagined, and there even seemed to be a trace of the Sun’s True Fire now circulating through its body, as if it was refining and absorbing it.

This Sun’s True Fire was visible to the naked eye and swam through the Artifact Spirit’s body like a tiny fire snake, but no matter how it struggled, it was incapable of escaping and was gradually being assimilated.

It seemed the Artifact Spirit had turned this misfortune into a blessing.

This made Yang Kai overjoyed; after all, in order to gather the Sun’s True Essence this time, both of his little assistants had suffered significant damage, making him quite depressed. Now that he knew that the Artifact Spirit was fine and the Stone Puppet’s injuries were not serious, Yang Kai was able to relax somewhat.

With the Artifact Spirit like this though, it was likely impossible for Yang Kai to use the Artifact Refining Furnace to continue refining the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead. So instead, he simply sat on the spot, adjusting his breathing while taking inventory of the harvest from this trip.

In addition to the four Space Rings he had tossed to Yang Yan, there was a lot of Saint Crystals and rare minerals currently stored inside the Stone Puppet’s belly. There were also a few Secret Arts and Secret Books along with artifacts that originally belonged to the Ancient Yang Sect that Yang Kai had managed to collect.

It was needless to say that the artifacts would all be left to Yang Yan to handle as many of them would need to be repaired before they could be used. Moreover, Yang Kai did not need other artifacts to enhance his combat effectiveness, so he didn’t concern himself with these things greatly.

As for the Secret Arts and Secret Books, however, Yang Kai was at least interested in browsing through them.

After all, two thousand years ago, the Ancient Yang Sect was a force not inferior to Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, so the Secret Arts and Secret Books owned by them must not be bad. What’s more, since these were placed in that Secret Cave, they were likely related to the core inheritance of the Ancient Yang Sect.

After a cursory inspection, Yang Kai found himself quite startled.

He found that, as he guessed, these Secret Arts and Secret Books were all profound works. If any of these manuals were to appear in the outside world, they would draw the interest of countless cultivators. Several of the Secret Arts and techniques in this collection were reserved for only the core members of the Ancient Yang Sect and were thus extremely high-grade. Many of these techniques were also quite profound and esoteric, to the point that even Origin Realm masters would be joyful to obtain one.

With Yang Kai’s current abilities and capital, there was no need for him to waste time and energy cultivating these things, but if he were to find some spare time, cultivating one or two sets of secret skills would increase his combat effectiveness and also increase the number of life-saving techniques he had at his disposal.

At the very least, Yang Kai was quite interested in several of these secret manuals.

However, when he remembered that he still had to cultivate his Golden Blood Threads, refine the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead, cultivate Space Force, and refine the Coloured Glass Bead Dai Yuan had given him, Yang Kai could only set this matter aside for the moment and make a note to revisit these Secret Arts and Secret Books in the future.

Although he had the intention of cultivating many of these texts, reading through some of these Secret Arts and Secret Books still broadened Yang Kai’s knowledge and provided him with some inspiration for his cultivation. In particular, there was a set of Body Tempering Secret Arts that Yang Kai was very much interested in.

It was the first time he had encountered a Secret Art specifically dedicated to tempering one’s physique and refining their body.

The reason why Yang Kai’s physique was so powerful was thanks to his Unyielding Golden Skeleton, which had allowed him to store and use large quantities of Demonic Qi before, giving him some Demon Race physical qualities. On top of that, Yang Kai had various opportunities over the years which allowed him to enhance his physical strength.

However, now that he thought about it, when he first began cultivating and obtained the Unyielding Golden Skeleton, the Tempered Body Record he used should have also been a kind of Body Tempering Secret Art. However, this Secret Art was created by Great Demon God and obviously could not compare with the techniques of the Ancient Yang Sect.

It was not that Great Demon God’s aptitude was poor, but that he had only managed to reach the Saint King Realm before he died and had not been able to truly step out from Tong Xuan Realm. Naturally, a technique he created wouldn’t be a match the millennia-long inheritance of a great Sect.

Yang Kai did not know what grade this Ancient Yang Sect Body Tempering Secret Art was, but after studying it for a time, he concluded that it wasn’t low. In fact, it was quite likely a priceless treasure. With his ability as an Origin Grade Alchemist, Yang Kai could also refine some Body Tempering pills that would presumably allow him to obtain twice the results with half the effort when he did begin cultivating this Secret Art, allowing him to save a great deal of time.

Deciding so, Yang Kai sat cross-legged in place and continued to refine his Golden Blood Threads while occasionally finding some time to review the mysteries of this Body Tempering Secret Art.

In the blink of an eye, eight days passed by.

During this period, the small mountain range remained completely calm, with nothing out of the ordinary happening, but this was not much of a surprise as this place was quite close to Grand Burial Valley so no one would come here usually. If it was a thousand years ago, the situation would definitely be different as many cultivators would be passing through to go treasure hunting in the Grand Burial Valley.

But now, although some would still occasionally dive into Grand Burial Valley, their numbers had decreased sharply, and unless they had some kind of specific purpose, like Chen Shi Tao’s group, only fledgelings who wanted to quickly make their mark on the world or adventurous little brats would come here to try their luck. Most of these people, however, would not return safely after entering the Grand Burial Valley.

On this day, Yang Kai was meditating at the front of the cave mansion when his expression suddenly changed, and he looked up to see a blue streak of light quickly approaching. This person was not trying to conceal their presence at all, so Yang Kai was able to determine it was Chen Shi Tao riding her Star Shuttle.

Slowing the Saint Qi circulating through his body, Yang Kai waiting quietly for her to arrive.

A moment later, Chen Shi Tao floated down from above and landed not far away from Yang Kai, looking at him with a smile.

After a few days of meditation, Chen Shi Tao had apparently completely restored herself. At this moment, her complexion was like that of peach blossom and the shimmering quality of her eyes gave her a unique and enrapturing charm. After she landed, a faint aroma wafted from her body towards Yang Kai, causing his spirit to shake slightly.

“Sister Chen,” Yang Kai greeted her with a polite nod, raising his brow a bit as he commented, “Looking at Sister Chen’s complexion, it seems you’ve recovered completely, yes?”

Chen Shi Tao smiled, “Thank you for worrying, Little Brother Yang. Fortunately, I wasn’t injured, just somewhat exhausted, so after a few days of meditation my Saint Qi and strength had been restored.”

“En, that’s good. Does Sister Chen have something she needs to discuss? Or perhaps you are ready to leave?”

“Not yet,” Chen Shi Tao shook her head slowly, “While Fan Lei’s injuries were not too serious this time, they also were not light, so I’m afraid we’ll need to stay here for a few more days.”

“Oh? Good, I also happen to need a few days to finish a little something here.”

“This Young Lady came here this time specifically to thank Little Brother Yang for assisting us twice. Although the first time there was no risk to our lives, without Little Brother Yang coming to our aid the second time, I’m afraid it would have been difficult for us to leave Grand Burial Valley alive. I will not forget this graciousness. If Little Brother Yang ever needs this Young Lady’s help in the future, just come to Clear Sky Sect to call upon me, I will certainly not refuse!”

When she said these words, her face was serious and sincere.

Yang Kai smiled lightly and waved his hand, “I only helped you out a little bit. You being able to survive was all thanks to your own strength; after all, that Silver Night Thunder Beast took the initiative to retreat after it saw it couldn’t kill you without the help of that barrier.”

“Is that so?” Chen Shi Tao frowned, seemingly a bit puzzled. If that was really the case, the Silver Night Thunder Beast should not have taken the initiative to provoke them. During these past few days of meditation, Chen Shi Tao had been going over their encounter carefully but was still unable to understand why the Silver Night Thunder Beast had suddenly retreated.

Thinking it over though, she felt that it had something to do with Yang Kai, but under her subtle probe, Yang Kai had categorically denied her assumption, making her wonder if the Silver Night Thunder Beast’s retreat really was for the reason he gave.

Yang Kai didn’t intend to discuss this issue further and simply said, “As for your thanks, there’s no need to go so far. When cultivators go out into the world, they will always encounter difficulties, and since we are not strangers, it is only natural for us to support one another. Perhaps next time this Yang will need Sister Chen’s assistance with something.”

On Chen Shi Tao pretty face, a fascinating smile appeared as she narrowed her eyes happily, “Being able to meet Little Brother Yang is really this Young Lady’s good fortune.”

“Because you believe I’m a person of great destiny?” Yang Kai laughed jokingly.

“Hehe…” Chen Shi Tao giggled, “Although I have no way to prove such a thing, this Young Lady has faith in her intuition. If not for me taking advantage of your luck, how could I be standing here with you now, speaking casually like this?”

“Alright. Sure, think whatever you’d like,” Yang Kai shook his head slowly, not trying to argue with her.

“Actually…” Chen Shi Tao began to say something but suddenly hesitated.

Yang Kai immediately knew that she should have something she felt awkward about asking him and immediately assumed the pose of a conscientious listener.

Noticing this, Chen Shi Tao slowly continued, “Actually, this time, this Young Lady came here first to thank you, but second to ask Little Brother Yang if he has any intention to join a Sect?”

“Join a Sect?” Yang Kai raised his brow slightly before smiling, “Could it be that Sister Chen wants to invite me to enter Clear Sky Sect?”

“Talking to smart people like Little Brother Yang really saves a lot of trouble,” Chen Shi Tao smiled and nodded, “I certainly had such an idea; after all, you are a lone cultivator with no Elders to guide you and no Sect to protect you. At present, you might not notice any significant drawbacks, but as your cultivation continues to grow, there will definitely be some situations that Little Brother Yang won’t be able to cope with on your own.”

Yang Kai gently nodded as he knew what she said made sense.

For example, Shi, the unique power Origin Returning Realm master’s possessed, was something Yang Kai had next to no knowledge about. When he had fought against the cultivator brought by Xie Hong Wen to Dragon Cave Mountain, because there were no Elders or Seniors to inform him about Shi, Yang Kai had fallen into a disadvantage during that fight.

After seeing Yang Kai’s thoughtful appearance, Chen Shi Tao became encouraged and hurriedly continued, “And, since you were able to cultivate to the Second-Order Saint King Realm all on your own, obviously your aptitude isn’t low, so entering Clear Sky Sect shouldn’t be difficult. Half a year later, Clear Sky Sect will hold a recruitment open to all of Shadowed Star. At that time, anyone who passes will be allowed to enter the Sect.”