105: Recovery, breakthrough

Zi Ning knew everything about Qin Zhengyang since he had joined the Sect like the back of her hand. Yang Kai thought to himself that if this girl were born in the modern era, she would undoubtedly be a fangirl.

"Senior Brother Qin Zhengyang is now serving as a Chief in the Punishment Hall. They say he will inherit the mantle of the Grand Elder of the Discipline Hall in the future and become the next Grand Elder of the Discipline Hall. He is a big shot who can make the entire continent tremble just by stamping his foot. If one could become Senior Brother Qin Zhengyang's Dao Companion..." Just as Zi Ning was daydreaming, Yang Kai felt a headache coming on and quickly interrupted her, much to her dissatisfaction.

"Isn't your Senior Brother a Disciple of Qingyun Peak? How did he end up in the Punishment Hall to inherit someone else's mantle?" Yang Kai changed the subject and asked with some confusion.

"Senior Brother Qin Zhengyang was adopted by the Sect Master when he was young. When he lived in the secular world as a child, he often saw corrupt officials oppressing the common people. After entering the Sect, he repeatedly proposed to the Sect Master that the deep-seated ailments and abuses within the Sect should be rectified. The Sect Master allowed him to go to the Punishment Hall to gain experience. Unexpectedly, his philosophy was recognized by the Grand Elder of the Discipline Hall, who not only took him as a closed-door Disciple but also allowed him to carry out sweeping arrests within the Sect. Even Elders could not escape. Look, just a few days ago, even a high-level figure like the Hall of Relief Master was executed. Now, the Punishment Hall is in the limelight, and Senior Brother Qin Zhengyang's prestige is growing higher and higher. In less than a hundred years, his cultivation has reached the Nascent Soul Realm, and his power and treatment within the Sect are already no different from an Elder." Zi Ning clenched her hands, once again lost in her admiration for Qin Zhengyang.

Just then, Meng Jingyi's voice came from outside the door. Yang Kai immediately perked up, stood up, and went out to welcome him.

"Brother Yang, I have finally managed to take care of the matter you entrusted to me. To call upon such valuable items, the token of King Qin alone was not enough. I had to find the Third Ancestor, King Chu, who is in charge of the clan treasury. With the Third Ancestor's nod of approval, I was able to take out these few items. That is why it was delayed for half a day. I hope Brother Yang does not mind," Meng Jingyi said with an enthusiastic expression.

"Brother Meng, you are overthinking it. With these items, not only will my injuries recover, but my cultivation will also advance further. I will naturally keep in mind what you and your Elders have done, and I will certainly repay you if the opportunity arises in the future." Yang Kai understood the implication in Meng Jingyi's words. He took the Storage Ring and did not forget to put Meng Jingyi's mind at ease.

Meng Jingyi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He was afraid that Yang Kai was the type of person who would take everything and then forget about it, which would mean their efforts were like winking at a blind man. Seeing that Yang Kai was so sensible, much of Meng Jingyi's dissatisfaction with Yang Kai dissipated. He said, "However, the items Brother Yang needs are too rare. In our clan's treasury, there is only one crimson blood dragon ginseng. As for the other two Heaven And Earth Treasures, we have only heard their names but have never seen them. There are only three Top-Grade Spirit Stones. Your Flowing Cloud Sect is a large enterprise and doesn't take these things seriously, but in our Du Pang Dynasty, only Nascent Soul Ancestors have the qualifications to use these Top-Grade Spirit Stones. Even these three were sponsored by my Third Ancestor out of his own pocket, gritting his teeth to do so. I hope Brother Yang will not be angry."

"These items are inherently hard to find. Being able to obtain a portion of them is already excellent. Brother Meng, I am eager to Cultivate, so I won't keep you any longer. When I come out of seclusion, I will come to find you for a chat." After receiving the Storage Ring, Yang Kai refined it and naturally knew the items stored inside. He had not expected the Du Pang Dynasty to truly meet all his requirements. Now that these items satisfied his requirements for Cultivation and Breakthrough, he naturally did not want to exchange any more pleasantries with Meng Jingyi and issued an order to leave.

Meng Jingyi was not angry. He only left behind the words, "Brother Yang, you must notify me in time after you come out of seclusion," and after showing a gentle and refined demeanor in front of Zi Ning, he said goodbye and left.

"Yang Kai, first refine this crimson blood dragon ginseng. After all the previously depleted power of Qi and blood is restored, absorb the powerful spiritual energy contained in these Top-Grade Spirit Stones to refine the last acupoint in the second layer of the Ninefold Mixed Origin Body Refining Art, reaching the Peak of the second layer. Then, consume the star essence fruit. While your body's Qi and blood and other aspects are at their Peak, gather your Yuan Power in one go and Breakthrough to the Gathering Yuan Realm! Finally, use the residual energy of the star essence fruit to map out the circulation pathways for the acupoints of the third layer, and Breakthrough to the third layer again. Did you hear that clearly?" Seeing that Yang Kai wanted to start Cultivating immediately, Zi Ning repeated the entire process, fearing that Yang Kai might forget a key node, leading to failure.

Yang Kai took a deep breath and nodded at Zi Ning. He then began to close his eyes to rest, calming his somewhat restless heart. After adjusting his mind to the best state, he opened his eyes, which were as calm as an ancient well. He picked up the crimson blood dragon ginseng in front of him and made a cut on its surface. Deep red juice immediately flowed down along the cut. Yang Kai poured this juice into his mouth. Subsequently, a powerful surge of blood energy rampaged through his body. He quickly activated his Cultivation Technique and began to refine this blood energy to replenish his own strength.

Seeing that Yang Kai had already started Cultivating, Zi Ning also stood guard by his side with full concentration.

After working together many times, Yang Kai knew Zi Ning inside and out, and Zi Ning had completely earned his trust. If he were breaking through within the Flowing Cloud Sect, he naturally would not have let Zi Ning guard him here. However, the situation in the Du Pang Dynasty was complicated. After weighing the pros and cons repeatedly, Yang Kai still decided to let Zi Ning act as his Protector. After all, Zi Ning was also very knowledgeable about various pharmacological principles. If he encountered any problems during the Breakthrough process, Zi Ning would be able to provide help immediately.

Yang Kai absorbed all the juice from the crimson blood dragon ginseng in three times. In the end, he did not even spare the skin of the medicinal herb and swallowed it directly, which made Zi Ning click her tongue in slight astonishment.

The effect of the crimson blood dragon ginseng was extremely powerful. The recovery process, which had already been more than half completed, took a giant stride forward again. Soon, it became stuck at a Bottleneck and could not be achieved in one step. However, Yang Kai was not anxious about this. He knew that the key node trapping him was the destroyed blood energy phantom. Now, to restore his body to its Peak state, he had to first reshape this blood energy phantom. This object was formed by the condensation of a Qi Refining practitioner's essence, Qi, and spirit. If it were not for this, Yang Kai would not have suffered such heavy injuries.

Yang Kai had experience in condensing a blood energy phantom. This time, with a large amount of blood energy deposited in his body, re-condensing the blood energy phantom was like water flowing to form a channel. As time passed, Yang Kai's body trembled slightly, and a miniature blood energy phantom appeared behind him. Not only that, but this blood energy phantom was also far more condensed than the previous one, and even the face was clearly visible, looking exactly like Yang Kai.