Liang Heng gazed on with bated breath, knowing he was nothing short of a weakling in the face of so many experts. Behind Bai Yunru was another talent that sought to destroy the Myriad Realms' understanding of the way things worked. He was a member of the Tang Clan, a human clan that rarely interfered with the public world openly. But cultivators of all ages and Realms knew what that name meant. The Tang Clan was an ancient clan that focused on the Dao of Weapons and Technology. They were masters of their craft. Most of the powerful auxiliary cultivators came from there. And The man behind Bai Yunru was one such man. Tang Pengfei, a Ninth Mortal Grade Alchemist and Formation Master, the first of his kind since the last two Chaos Era's. Being Ninth Mortal Grade in two professions wasn't rare, but being one as a mere mortal barely in his thirties was.
Kun Hui, the rotund young man, had little accolades to his name. But he had nearly cracked his Dao Heart a few months ago. As a mere Mortal Transcendent, Kun Hui once slapped a renowned Pseudo Immortal to death with nothing but the power of his raw physique.
Each one of the people that flew in the air had done things that struck awe in the eye of many. He hoped to one day reach such heights. It might not be now, but he had hope in the next thousand years, his name would spread across the Myriad Realms. People would chant his name at every corner, on every street, in every city, on every planet.
He plopped down next to a stream and cupped some water and threw it over his face. The cold water cooled down his grating nerves and aching muscles. He still hadn't figured out a way to recover his qi after each use. His next best action was most likely to find an Alchemist of Formation Master to aid in the process. But that meant tying himself down. He didn't know what price he'd have to pay. Qi was a valuable commodity in this trial, much more than one would expect. And those that could would probably want things he didn't know he could afford.
Liang Heng didn't enjoy the quietness for more than a minute when a group of cultivators approached him. They wore all black robes with silver edges and had their hair styled in the same ponytail.
"We noticed that you were lonely without a friend. How about we join up once the temple opens?" A young man in his thirties with a large scar running across his face spoke.
Liang Heng, exhausted and tired, scoffed and turned to the side. Working with others wasn't his thing. He much preferred doing things alone. But thinking back to his injuries and lack of qi he turned his attention back to them.
"I'll. On one condition," he said.
"And that condition is?" the young man asked.
"Do you have an Alchemist?"
The man gave it some thought. His group had an Alchemist, but was it worth it to add another cultivator to his budget? No.
"Unfortunately we don't. It was worth a try though," the man sighed.
They were still in the first week of the trial and they still had three more weeks. They would probably use more qi in the temple than they'd need to outside. Adding one more person to the pill budget wouldn't help them at all.
The group left, a little disappointed. Liang Heng waited gently along the stream. He didn't know how many more hours they had to wait before the temple opened, but he reckoned it was a few. He sat down and watched the others come from all directions. Wave after wave of cultivators flooded into the general area.
Darkness slowly spilled over the horizon as the sun sunk.
"I don't want to go with you," A young man in blue robes squirmed out of the grip of a large man about twice his size.
"Young Master Lo has ordered you to come with us. It's not right to disagree," The large man had brilliant gold speckled eyes.
"Just let me be."
"You get that guy over there as well. He looks useful," The large man gestured for one of his men to approach Liang Heng.
"He doesn't look special," a human with large ears and a small button nose spoke from the group.
"Don't make me repeat myself," the large man said, "And the rest of you. Don't dawdle around. Gather as many Heavenly Door Experts as you can. Young Master Lo needs them. And if you can't. Kill them. Less competition. The better."
The man with the large ears hissed and walked towards Liang Heng. The rest of the group dispersed into separate directions, going to look for more people to gather.
At some point, Liang Heng watched the large group force the young man to join them. After a while, he turned his attention to other sights. He stood up and got ready to move closer to the temple. He saw that it was no use staying alone here. And finding an Alchemist or Formation Master to aid him in qi recovery wouldn't be a bad trade. The promise to enter Spectral Haven Sect had to be fulfilled through whatever means necessary. Even if it meant letting go of his ego.
"Wait," the voice of a man drew his attention.
"Yes?"
"I have an offer. My Young Master Lo wants some people to aid him through the temple once it opens. He is offering twelve qi-recovery pills and three regeneration pills. All Pills are Sixt Grade Mortal pills and last twenty four hours," the mouse faced man said.
He pulled out a bottle filled with six qi-recovery pills. Pulling out one, he tossed it to Liang Heng. Liang Heng caught the pill and examined it. His alchemic knowledge was basic when compared to an Alchemist, but through a wave of qi he understood that the pills were indeed Sixth Grade Mortal Rank.
The man's offer put him in a bind. Recovery pills were exactly what he needed in that moment. But their had to be some sort of catch right?
"Your deposit will be three pills, about six hours of qi recovery. And you know that is quite a lot of qi in the trials," the mouth faced man said.
"Double the pills and I'll join," Liang Heng said.
The louse faced man shook his head. His master had only given him a total of six pills to persuade people. Doubling it would go against what he swore to do.
"That's my one and only offer. Take it ot leave it."
Liang Heng fell into thought. Exploring the temple would take time, only, he didn't know how much.