93: Body Refining Realm

"Greetings, Your Highness!" The silver-armored soldiers immediately recognized Meng Yun and stood up to salute him.

Yang Kai's gaze, however, bypassed the generals and landed on the golden-armored old man seated at the head. Yang Kai's Divine Sense swept over the old man, but he couldn't probe his depth. In his Divine Sense perception, the old man's entire body seemed ethereal, imperceptible.

"Kid, has no one taught you that casually probing others with Divine Sense is extremely rude?" The old man snorted coldly, and a powerful Divine Sense burst from his body, shattering Yang Kai's probing Divine Sense. Yang Kai grunted. The old man's outburst was incredibly swift, and Yang Kai failed to retract his Divine Sense in time, suffering a hidden loss.

"Presumably, this is King Tang. This junior, Yang Kai, is Meng Yun's Senior Brother. I was presumptuous just now, and I hope King Tang will forgive me." Yang Kai circulated the Great Sun Blazing Sun Divine Record. The rising sun in his Sea of Consciousness emitted a warm current, nourishing his somewhat turbulent Sea of Consciousness and quickly suppressing the backlash from his shattered Divine Sense.

The old man was somewhat surprised to see Yang Kai recover so quickly, but he maintained an expression of displeasure on his face and said, "If it weren't for my grandson, based on your provocative behavior just now, I would have directly killed you, and Flowing Cloud Sect wouldn't be able to say anything. Kid, remember, unless you're in battle, don't rashly probe others with Divine Sense. Otherwise, the next person you encounter might not be as kind as this old man."

Yang Kai rubbed his nose. He had indeed been in the wrong. Before, within Flowing Cloud Sect, he had grown accustomed to a certain superiority when facing Outer Sect Disciples, and freely using his Divine Sense to probe had become a habit. This time, he learned from his mistake. Now that he had left Flowing Cloud Sect, he needed to be more cautious.

Seeing Yang Kai's submissive demeanor, the old man's anger mostly dissipated. Only then did his gaze fall upon Meng Yun, and his eyes softened. He extended a hand and beckoned to Meng Yun, saying, "It's been almost ten years in a blink of an eye. Little A-Yun has grown so big! Come over here!"

Yang Kai and Zi Ning couldn't help but smile slightly at these words, looking at Meng Yun with mischievous grins, their eyes seeming to say, "Little A-Yun, Little A-Yun!"

Meng Yun was greatly embarrassed. He quickly walked over and gave his maternal grandfather a fierce hug, then immediately covered his maternal grandfather's mouth. If this continued, he wouldn't be able to face anyone.

King Tang laughed heartily. He was tall and burly; even sitting in a chair, his upright posture made him seem incredibly imposing. He extended a pair of large hands and patted Meng Yun's body, then said with some annoyance, "Alas, that year I was in seclusion to Breakthrough to Core Formation, and I missed your departure to Flowing Cloud Sect to become a Disciple and learn skills. I had already prepared Cultivation resources for you. If they could have been delivered to you on the day you left, you should be close to Foundation Establishment by now."

"It's alright, Maternal Grandfather. I feel pretty good now. I'm already at the fifth layer of the Qi Refinement Stage, which is the Qi Refining Middle Stage." Meng Yun's eyes suddenly welled up with a layer of mist. From his birth until now, besides his birth mother, only his maternal grandfather had treated him the best.

"Your Aptitude is ordinary; you have a mixed Spiritual Root of three attributes. Ever since you were born, I have been diligently searching for methods to improve your Aptitude. Now, all the necessary treasures are complete. You rest well tonight, and tomorrow I will personally act to enhance your Aptitude!" King Tang looked at Meng Yun with eyes full of affection, laughing heartily.

Meng Yun and his maternal grandfather, having been reunited after a long separation, naturally had much to say. King Tang arranged for his subordinates to find accommodation for Yang Kai and Zi Ning. Yang Kai and Zi Ning, being tactful, left the camp, but they did not return directly to their lodgings to rest. Instead, they requested to wander around the area.

The silver-armored general knew that these two were King Tang's guests and dared not neglect them. After explaining a few military taboos, he left.

"Yang Kai, it's late at night, why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing wandering around? You're making it impossible for this Young Miss to rest." Ever since Yang Kai started calling her "Young Miss," Zi Ning had gradually accepted the title, and now she even directly referred to herself as "this Young Miss" in front of Yang Kai.

"I don't like putting my life in the hands of others. What if this King Tang has ulterior motives and acts against us in the dead of night?" After suffering a loss, Yang Kai did not recklessly use his Divine Sense to probe. His current Divine Sense strength could only barely be considered at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. If he were to sweep over a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, he would cause trouble again. However, he also covered their surroundings with his Divine Sense. If anyone used Divine Sense to probe them, Yang Kai would likewise detect it.

"Are you overthinking things? This King Tang is Meng Yun's maternal grandfather, and he also knows that we are both Disciples of Flowing Cloud Sect. Their Du Pang Dynasty is merely a subordinate of our Flowing Cloud Sect, like a servant. How would they dare to do such a thing?" Zi Ning looked at Yang Kai with some suspicion, thinking he was making a mountain out of a molehill.

"I hope so." Yang Kai didn't say much, after all, this place was still on someone else's territory. If these words were overheard and reported, it would only give others an excuse. However, he secretly felt that there was something wrong with this Du Pang Dynasty. Even the villagers knew that relying on Flowing Cloud Sect was very safe, yet this Du Pang Dynasty, right next to Flowing Cloud Sect, why would it station troops in the direction of Flowing Cloud Sect? What were they guarding against?

Yang Kai could only suppress these questions in his heart. If this mission could be resolved smoothly, he had no interest in these secrets. But if these people and events became an obstacle to him, thinking of this, Yang Kai smiled coldly. His strength had now greatly improved, and he was just worried about not having targets delivered to his doorstep for practice. At that time, he would definitely give those who wanted to deal with them a big surprise.

It was late at night. Yang Kai and Zi Ning patrolled the camp once more, then returned to their lodgings. Their tents were right next to each other. Zi Ning yawned, waved at Yang Kai, and then eagerly went inside to rest.

After Yang Kai entered his tent, he carefully probed with his Divine Sense and found nothing amiss. However, he still cautiously released the vengeful spirit he had completely controlled earlier to guard the entrance, then sat down cross-legged to Cultivate.

"According to Zhao Hongyu, in the second Body Refining Realm, the Opening Origin Realm, the first and second stages are the Qi Activation Realm and Gathering Yuan Realm. After a Body Refiner undergoes Body Tempering, their Physical Body reaches a certain extreme, leaving only the path of opening acupoints. After opening acupoints, unique Yuan Power belonging to a Body Refiner is generated within the body, possessing infinite power. This is Gathering Yuan. Currently, because I Cultivate the Ninefold Mixed Origin Body Refining Art, I have already opened many acupoints, and can be considered to have stepped into the first heaven of the Opening Origin Realm, the Qi Activation Realm. Next, I need to find a way to condense Yuan Power and step into the second heaven of the Opening Origin Realm, the Gathering Yuan Realm!"

Yang Kai was very clear about his Cultivation. He had already opened more than ten acupoints in his body, which already met the conditions for Breakthrough to the Gathering Yuan Realm. With his current Body Refining foundation, if he were to condense Yuan Power, it would be a natural progression, and its power would be extraordinary.