Chapter 2749 – Xia Sheng
Translator: Silavin & Raikov
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Breaking through to the Emperor Realm comes with its risks and one mistake could lead to death. Many Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators not only failed to ascend to the Emperor Realm, but died during their attempt.
It had to be known that Wu Dao had died back then on the threshold of advancing to the Dao Source Realm, and he was known as the strongest person in Heng Luo Star Field. Even he died trying to reach the Dao Source Realm ascension, so the path to reaching the Emperor Realm could only come with greater risks.
“Ahaha, Martial Nephew Yang! It’s been a while since I heard from you. I didn’t expect you to visit Spirit Lake Palace today,” a man’s voice suddenly called out from the side. Yang Kai looked over to see an elderly man seemingly in his fifties walking over. He had white hair and a ruddy complexion that was brimming with vitality. Even the aura emanating from his body was dense.
[First-Order Emperor Realm!] Yang Kai could tell instantly.
But this man was much stronger than average cultivators in his realm, not to mention the heritage he had. Just his aura alone was not something people like Le Dong Zheng could compare with.
Yang Kai estimated that if this old man were to fight Le Dong Zheng in a one-on-one battle, then it likely wouldn’t take more than an incense stick’s time to determine a winner.
“Senior is...” Yang Kai got up and cupped his fists.
The elderly man stroked the beard on his chin and smiled, “This Old Master is Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s Yao Li!”
Yang Kai wasn’t familiar with too many people from Heavenly Martial Holy Land. Other than Chen Wen Hao, the only other one he knew was Wu Chang. Yang Kai didn’t know anyone else besides those two, but since Yao Li’s cultivation was First-Order Emperor Realm, he should at least be an Elder of Heavenly Martial Holy Land.
Since the old man was his Senior, Yang Kai naturally didn’t show any disrespect.
“So, it is Elder Yao. Yang Kai greets Elder Yao!”
“No need to be polite, Martial Nephew. Please sit!” Yao Li smiled and gestured to him.
Immediately, a beautiful young woman came over to serve tea.
Yao Li was observing Yang Kai with a smile on his face, seemingly showing great interest in him; after all, this young man was able to refine the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, so there was a high possibility of him being an Emperor Alchemist now. Unfortunately, he didn’t belong to Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s. Suddenly, Yao Li’s eyes turned to Bian Yu Qing and he asked, “This is...”
“My Elder Cousin!” Yang Kai said casually.
Bian Yu Qing got up from her seat, “This Mistress greets Elder Yao!”
Even though Yang Kai and her did not discuss this matter beforehand, Bian Yu Qing’s performance was flawless. She had been making a life for herself outside for many years, so she wasn’t some naïve little girl.
“So it is Martial Nephew Yang’s cousin. En, please, sit,” Yao Li showed an amiable attitude towards her.
Bian Yu Qing couldn’t help but feel a little flattered by this. Yao Li was someone who stood far above her, someone she could only look up to, and this would not change even if she broke through to the Emperor Realm, but now, just because of Yang Kai, she was actually able to sit here with him and drink tea.
Deep inside, an extremely absurd feeling emerged in Bian Yu Qing’s heart, as if her fate had taken a huge turn ever since meeting Yang Kai again.
“I heard from my disciple that Martial Nephew Yang is here to ask for a cultivation room?” Yao Li cut straight to the point. Even though Yang Kai looked impressive, Yao Li was still an Elder of Heavenly Martial Holy Land, so there was naturally no need for any flattering.
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded, “May I ask Elder Yao if there are still any free cultivation rooms that are not open to the public?”
Yao Li frowned and pondered for a moment, “Martial Nephew Yang, is the cultivation room for your own use, or...” He swept a glance at Bian Yu Qing.
Wiseness comes with age. Even though Yang Kai didn’t say anything, he was able to guess Yang Kai’s purpose in bringing Bian Yu Qing here.
Yang Kai spoke truthfully, “My cousin’s cultivation has reached the peak of the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so if there is a suitable place for her to enter retreat, she may be able to make a breakthrough.”
Yao Li nodded, “As expected.”
After a pause, he continued, “Martial Nephew Yang, I’m not going to lie to you, those cultivation rooms that are not open to the public are indeed prepared for Core Disciples like yourself; but unfortunately, those rooms are already coincidentally full. If you were planning to use the room yourself, then this Old Master would not hesitate to arrange for someone to give up their place, but since it is someone else, it makes things very difficult for this Old Master.”
“They’re full?” Yang Kai was surprised.
He suddenly felt that something here was off. Even though the World Energy in Spirit Lake Palace was very dense, and the cultivation rooms reserved especially for Core Disciples were not bad, they were at best comparable to the cultivation rooms inside the three top Sects. Instead of cultivating at home, why would disciples from the three top Sects run over here to Spirit Lake Palace to cultivate instead?
“Indeed, they are,” Yao Li nodded seriously.
Yang Kai instantly felt awkward.
He originally thought that there had to be an empty cultivation room, and that was the reason he sold off Bian Yu Qing’s Sapphire Entry Token, but now that he was told there were no free rooms here, wouldn’t that mean that he had left Bian Yu Qing with nothing?
Yao Li continued, “Martial Nephew Yang, how about this? Even though the top reserved cultivation rooms are full, this Old Master can arrange a Heaven Grade room for you. What do you think? The Heaven Grade cultivation rooms are also good environments, and many Emperor Realm Masters are waiting in line for them. I’m sure your cousin will definitely have good returns if she enters retreat in one of them.”
Since things had come to this, Yang Kai also had no better ideas. He couldn’t really just ask Yao Li to vacate one of the top rooms, right? The people who were able to cultivate in their top rooms are all disciples of the three Sects, so nobody was inferior to anyone else in terms of status. If Yang Kai really were to make such a request, whether Yao Li would agree or not was one problem, but he may even cause a conflict between the Sects.
Moreover, Yao Li was an Elder of Heavenly Martial Holy Land, and his attitude towards Yang Kai could already be considered gracious, which would make it awkward for Yang Kai if he were to push the matter.
“How long do we have to wait?” Yang Kai asked.
Yao Li smiled, “It will be available today.”
This was still considered a queue jump that didn’t even require a Ruby Entry Token. From this point alone, Yang Kai’s Azure Sun Golden Token was still extremely useful.
“Cousin, what do you think?” Yang Kai turned to Bian Yu Qing and asked.
Bian Yu Qing said, “I’ll leave it up to you to decide.”
She only needed to wait another two months before she could enter an Earth Grade cultivation room, but now, she suddenly had a chance to enter a Heaven Grade cultivation room today, so she was naturally very happy.
Seeing that Bian Yu Qing didn’t have any complaints, Yang Kai could only go with this. Just as he was about to agree, another voice suddenly called out from outside, “No free cultivation rooms? That doesn’t seem right to me. I remember there being one that was empty.”
When he heard this voice, Yang Kai was slightly stunned, and when he looked up, a familiar figure appeared before him with a nonchalant smile and a casual attitude.
“Senior Brother Xia!” Yang Kai quickly got up and looked at Xia Sheng with surprise, “What are you doing here?”
As the Chief Disciple of Azure Sun Temple, Xia Sheng broke through to the Emperor Realm in the Shattered Star Sea, and he was now a well-known figure in the Southern Territory. In time, there would definitely be no problems for him reaching the Second-Order Emperor Realm. Even the Third-Order was within expectations.
Yang Kai would never have expected to meet Xia Sheng here, so there was a look of pleasant surprise on his face.
On the other hand, Yao Li’s face suddenly turned uneasy as he brought his tea to his lips.
“Eldest Senior Brother is one of the three Chief Stewards here at Spirit Lake Palace, so I keep watch here all year round!” Xia Sheng came over with a smile.
“Three Chief Stewards!” Yang Kai was stunned.
After some thought though, he immediately understood. This Spirit Lake Palace was under the joint management of the three top Sects, so each Sect would assign a Steward to keep watch in order to prevent their disciples from being treated unfairly. At the same time, they were also here to monitor the income.
When Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s disciple brought Yang Kai in, he said he was going to look for the Steward, and then Yao Li appeared. Yang Kai didn’t think much of it at the time, only figuring that Yao Li was the one in charge here at Spirit Lake Palace, but he now knew that wasn’t exactly the case when he heard what Xia Sheng said.
“Temple Master is actually willing to let you stay here?” Yang Kai smiled.
Xia Sheng said, “I only broke through recently, so Temple Master says I have to experience the bustling world in order to consolidate my cultivation and sent me over here.”
As he spoke, he had a bitter look on his face as if this were a tough job.
“How are Temple Master and Elder Gao doing?” Yang Kai asked.
“They’re doing just fine. You, on the other hand, have been gone for so many years without returning to the Sect even once you brat.”
Yang Kai responded awkwardly, “I was caught up with many mundane affairs. I was planning to visit during my trip back this time.”
Xia Sheng suddenly lowered his voice, “When you return, you should avoid Elder Gao as much as possible. Elder Gao said the next time she sees this ungrateful wolf, she would definitely teach you a lesson.”
“How could that be...” Yang Kai’s forehead was instantly covered in sweat.
Seemingly taking pleasure in his misfortune, Xia Sheng continued, “Well, that’s what Elder Gao said at least, and you know Elder Gao’s temper...” While speaking, he couldn’t help but shudder. “By the way, I have bad news to tell you. Elder Gao ascended to the Second-Order Emperor Realm two years ago, so even though you’re also an Emperor now, you definitely won’t be able to beat or escape her.”
“Elder Gao broke through?” Yang Kai was surprised but also felt glad for her. The last time he saw her was in the Eastern Territory, when she was trapped in the Sealed World medicine garden. At that time, she was only a First-Order Emperor, so Yang Kai hadn’t expected to hear that she’d broken through so soon.
“I wish you good luck,” Xia Sheng patted Yang Kai’s shoulder with a look of pity on his face.
“By the way, Senior Brother. What did you mean when you said the cultivation rooms weren’t full?” Yang Kai frowned. Yao Li told him they were full, but now Xia Sheng was telling him a different story, so he couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious.
Xia Sheng smiled and looked at Yao Li, “There are nine top cultivation rooms in total, three for each of our Sects. Only two of our Azure Sun Temple’s rooms were in use the last time I checked, so how could the last one suddenly be occupied? Steward Yao, may I know which one of my Azure Sun Temple’s disciples entered retreat?”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai’s frown grew deeper.
Previously, he learned that there were special cultivation rooms in Spirit Lake Palace reserved for the use of the three Sect’s disciples, but he had no idea of the details involved.
From how Xia Sheng and Yao Li were speaking, it seemed the two of them were in conflict with each other.
Yao Li smacked his head and smiled, “That’s right! Steward Xia, if you didn’t mention it, then this Old Master would not have remembered. Now that I think of it, only two rooms are occupied by your Azure Sun Temple. This Old Master has really grown senile.”
Yang Kai’s face darkened instantly, and any good feelings he had towards Yao Li previously disappeared in an instant.