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Translator: Silavin & Jon
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Chai Hao was a patient teacher. Since he was aware that Yang Kai was just an amateur in Artifact Refining, he decided to modify his approach accordingly and teach him everything from scratch.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was a serious learner.
One was studious while the other one was teaching attentively, so they got along pretty well.
Be it the Martial Dao or Alchemic Dao, Yang Kai had shown exceptional aptitude; however, he wasn’t particularly gifted in the Dao of Artifact Refining.
Fortunately, he was now in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm; moreover, there were many similarities between Alchemy and Artifact Refining. Therefore, even though he lacked aptitude in the Dao of Artifact Refining, his mastery of it was improving by the day.
With that said, given his situation, it was impossible for him to reach the pinnacle of the Dao of Artifact Refining. There would come a point when he would be faced with an insurmountable bottleneck, which would be the limit of his achievements in his lifetime.
In any case, Yang Kai didn’t intend to be an Artifact Refining Grandmaster. He was learning it to make it easier for him to gather information behind enemy lines, so he just needed to be slightly more skilful in Artifact Refining than average.
Chai Hao didn’t understand why Yang Kai was suddenly interested in learning Artifact Refining, but after spending some time with him, he could feel that Yang Kai was greedily learning everything he could. With the effort he had put in, he was able to rapidly improve his skills in Artifact Refining. He was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, after all, so he was able to learn anything quickly.
Time passed by slowly.
Yang Kai basically stayed in the Refining Hall and never stepped out of it. He even neglected his own cultivation just to study Artifact Refining. Fortunately, the living beings in his Small Universe would continuously help increase his heritage, so he didn’t lag behind compared to the other cultivators.
He went on to learn Artifact Refining for the next 10 years. It wasn’t until Chai Hao thought that there was nothing else he could teach that Yang Kai ended this special training.
Chai Hao was no longer able to teach Yang Kai not because the latter had surpassed him when it came to Artifact Refining of course, but because he had taught Yang Kai all the theoretical knowledge he knew about the Dao of Artifact Refining. As for how far Yang Kai could go in this Dao, that would depend on his aptitude and effort.
Although he had an excellent teacher, Yang Kai was responsible for his own achievements. Even if two people learned the same Secret Art, their achievements would be different. It was the same case for the Dao of Artifact Refining.
According to Yang Kai’s own classification of the Dao, he had only reached the beginning of the third level, Taking the Initial Steps, after tirelessly learning all about the Dao of Artifact Refining for 10 years.
An Artifact Refining Great Grandmaster like Dong Guo An Ping was at least on the seventh level, Standing Above All Others Within Sight, when it came to the Dao of Artifact Refining.
Only someone at this level was capable of refining Warships. In the entire Blue Sky Pass, there were only a small number of Artifact Refining Great Grandmasters that were comparable to him.
On the other hand, Chai Hao, who had taught Yang Kai for 10 years, should be at the fifth level, Attaining Mastery Through Comprehensive Understanding, when it came to his Dao of Artifact Refining.
The further one traversed any Dao, the more difficult it was to improve. It was even harder than ascending to the next Order in the Open Heaven Realm.
Yang Kai was 2 levels below Chai Hao and 4 levels below Dong Guo An Ping, which showed the stark differences between them.
If he was able to put enough time and effort into studying the Dao of Artifact Refining, Yang Kai figured he might be able to reach Chai Hao’s current level in this lifetime, but he could never become a Great Grandmaster like Dong Guo An Ping. That was the limit of his aptitude, and there was nothing he could do about it.
The Black Ink Disciple in the Yin-Yang Theatre was already developing prototype Warships, so it was apparent that he was just one step away from becoming a Great Grandmaster in the Dao of Artifact Refining. According to Yang Kai’s estimation, the Black Ink Disciple should be at the sixth level of comprehension, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary.
If there had been enough time, Yang Kai would have preferred to keep improving his Dao of Artifact Refining. At the very least, he wanted to reach the fourth level, Traversing a Familiar Path; however, he had spent the last 10 years in the Refining Hall, and during this period of time, Zhong Liang had visited him several times. Even though he didn’t say anything, Yang Kai could feel how anxious he was.
The more time Yang Kai spent in the Refining Hall, the more likely that the Black Ink Clan would be able to successfully create Warships. 10 years was basically the limit.
Zhong Liang was startled for a moment when he saw Yang Kai appearing before him. Nevertheless, he soon came to his senses as he put down a document and asked seriously, “Are you ready?”
“I’m sorry for making you wait, Sir.”
Zhong Liang shook his head, “This is a dangerous task. If you’re not willing to do it, no one can force you to.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I’ve been preparing for the past 10 years for this moment, why would I back down now?”
Approval and gratification were written all over Zhong Liang’s face, “If everyone was like you, we wouldn’t have to worry about achieving our ultimate goal. Have you told the members of Dawn about it?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “There’s no need for that. I suppose the secret that the Black Ink Clan is capable of refining pseudo-Warships hasn’t spread yet. I don’t even know when I will come back, and it’s hard for me to explain it to them, so it’s better not to tell them about it at all. Moreover, they’re still able to go to the battlefield without me. They’ll take good care of themselves. This matter cannot be delayed, so I’ll head to Yin-Yang Pass now.”
Zhong Liang nodded gently, “Good. Come with me. Those from Yin-Yang Pass have been urging us, so if you delayed much longer, that old fart Tang Qiu would have come over to curse at us.”
Upon finishing his words, Zhong Liang rose from the chair and led the way.
On the way to their destination, Zhong Liang passed a jade slip to Yang Kai, “There’s some basic information about Yin-Yang Pass and the surrounding theatre. You can have a look when you’re free.”
Yang Kai took it, but instead of immediately going through it, he put it inside his Small Universe.
Zhong Liang kept rambling on along the way, as though he was a Father who was sending his Son to the battlefield. He was worried about what Yang Kai would face in the near future.
While feeling warmth in his heart, Yang Kai also felt slightly helpless.
Soon, they arrived at the Hyper Space Array which was guarded by a few soldiers; however, since Zhong Liang was there, the guards directly let them pass.
Inside a Grand Hall, Yang Kai stood atop the huge Array on his own.
He was surrounded by more than 10 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in different corners of the Grand Array, placing valuable resources into the Array Nodes.
It required a lot of resources to activate the Hyper Space Array, and the more powerful the cultivator who was going to be transferred, the more resources were needed.
That was the reason the Humans from different Great Passes rarely came into contact with each other despite being able to do so. Too many resources had to be consumed to do that.
The last time the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered together in Blue Sky Pass was because of the Purifying Black Ink Battleships. Yang Kai had to personally seal Purifying Light inside those vessels, so they had no choice but to come.
“This is a Faith Token given to you by the Old Ancestor. He has left his Imprint inside it, so if there’s anyone who questions you in Yin-Yang Pass, just take this thing out to prove your identity.” Zhong Liang passed a piece of jade to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai took it with a solemn expression.
“Regardless of the outcome of your mission, you must come back alive!” Zhong Ling ordered seriously, “If it comes down to it, just give up and escape. You’ll only be able to contribute more to the Human Race by staying alive.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “I’ll not disappoint you, Sir.”
Zhong Liang nodded and stepped out of the Grand Array. After looking around, he ordered, “Activate the array!”
These Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were well prepared, and upon receiving the order, they immediately activated their powers. The Grand Array started buzzing and shining brightly as the resources on the Array Nodes were sucked dry and turned into dust in just a moment.
Space started contorting as though the world was going to fall apart at any moment.
Barely a breath later though, calm was restored.
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters around the Grand Array were pale, and their auras were unsteady. It showed that they had exerted themselves greatly to do this. Meanwhile, Yang Kai was nowhere in sight.
Despite being a Master in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai was still overwhelmed by dizziness as he was being transferred to such a faraway place. As he navigated through the Void, he felt like a leaf on the wind, though he had no idea where he would eventually land. This kind of uncertainty made him feel uncomfortable.
Fortunately, this sensation only lasted a short while.
When Yang Kai came to his senses, he was already standing atop a different Grand Array. The lights around him went out and revealed several figures, who were standing around him.
Those people exchanged glances and communicated with each other using Divine Senses. Soon, one of them stepped forward and cupped his fist, “Yin-Yang Pass Jing An greets this Junior Brother. From where do you come?”
Since Yang Kai was transferred to this place through the Hyper Space Array, he was definitely a Human from one of the Great Passes; however, Open Heaven Realm Masters like them who were responsible for guarding the Grand Array couldn’t identify where Yang Kai came from, so they had to ask him about it.
Yang Kai shook his head to clear up his dizziness. Upon making sure that he was in Yin-Yang Pass, he replied, “Blue Sky Pass’ Yang Kai greets Senior Brother Jing.”
Jing An appeared excited upon hearing that, “You’re from Blue Sky Pass?”
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded.
Jing An hurriedly said to his companions, “Tell Martial Uncle Tang that the person he’s been waiting for has arrived.”
One of them came to his senses and sent the message.
Jing An gazed at Yang Kai and said with a smile, “You’re finally here, Junior Brother Yang. Martial Uncle Tang has been asking about you. Every month, he sends us a message to ask whether someone from Blue Sky Pass has arrived. Should you have come any later, we would’ve been fired.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but smile upon hearing that, “What does my arrival have anything to do with you all?”
Jing An put on a helpless smile, “Martial Uncle Tang is not the most reasonable person. He scolded us because you did not come, as though it was our fault. You have no idea how much we’ve been longing for you to arrive. It’s great that you’re finally here.”
The people around him nodded repeatedly to show that Jing An was telling the truth. At the same time, they examined Yang Kai with curiosity as they wondered why Tang Qiu had been waiting for him. They didn’t think there was anything special about Yang Kai. Just like them, he appeared to be just another Seventh-Order Master.
Judging from their reactions, Yang Kai reckoned that the fact that the Purifying Light stemmed from his hands had been kept secret in Yin-Yang Pass. Other than a small number of people who were aware of it, no one knew anything about this matter. That was the reason these people never mentioned Purifying Light when they heard his name.
Yang Kai was famous throughout Blue Sky Pass because he could use Purifying Light to help dispel Black Ink Strength since the beginning, so this matter couldn’t be hidden from them.
On the other hand, it was different in Yin-Yang Pass. Although they knew that there were four Purifying Black Ink Battleships in the Inner Sanctum that were filled with Purifying Light, the Army Commanders never told them where the Purifying Light came from.
No special treatment for Yang Kai anymore 😆
Thanks for the chapter
Hello!
Many thanks for the chapter, as always.