Martial Peak - Rise Of The Human Emperor-Chapter 101- The "Promotion"!

Lan Chudie smiled, her chest rising and falling with each labored breath as she gasped. "I thought you wouldn't care about me anymore."

"There's no such thing, Senior Sister. I will always take you into consideration," Yang Kai smiled back.

Her eyes lit up, and she continued to gaze at him.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable under her intense stare, Yang Kai asked awkwardly, "Senior Sister, what brings you here?"

"A command for your promotion!" she announced. "The Elders have decided to promote you after your breakthrough to the Qi Transformation Stage. According to the rules of High Heaven Pavilion, you're now eligible to be promoted directly from a Trial Disciple to an Inner Disciple."

Yang Kai's brows furrowed. "Promotion?"

"Yes," Lan Chudie nodded. "You've been here for three years, stuck at the Tempered Body Stage, which caused your rank to fall to that of a Trial Disciple. But now, after diligently cultivating and successfully breaking through, the Elders believe you deserve a chance for promotion."

"A chance?" Yang Kai caught the subtle implication in her words.

Lan Chudie said, "As long as you complete the task assigned by the Elders Council, you will be promoted to a Core Disciple. For the High Heaven Pavilion, such a promotion is a great honor for Trial Disciples like yourself. This opportunity is very rare, so Junior Brother Yang, make sure you seize it well."

Yang Kai opened the letter, and as expected, it was a command for revenge stemming from his earlier conflict with Cao Zhengwen. He couldn't help but wonder why the Elders, who didn't seem to care about his discipline, would suddenly show interest in him.

The letter read: Task: Travel alone to the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Lands and kill a cultivator not lower than your own level.

The hell? What kind of damn elder would send their disciple to a slaughterhouse?

This task could be considered both easy and difficult at the same time. The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Lands were filled with countless Evil Cultivators. If Yang Kai was lucky enough to encounter a cultivator at his own level, the task would be straightforward. However, there was just as much of a chance that he could run into someone as powerful as an Elder—at which point, his survival would be highly unlikely.

He stood motionless for a long while, lost in thought. As he pondered the task, he realized that Lan Chudie might not fully understand the gravity of the situation. She seemed so cheerful, which made him think she hadn't grasped the danger of the mission.

After spending three months in this world at High Heaven Pavilion and witnessing the fickleness and cruelty of the people here, Yang Kai couldn't shake the feeling of being out of place. The only thing that gave him any warmth was Su Yan. As his thoughts wandered, he also thought of Xia Ning Chan. That's right, he thought with a slight smirk, there's also Junior Sister, who gives me that sense of warmth too... His mind briefly lingered on their recent, intimate encounter, a fleeting moment of pleasure that contrasted sharply with the world around him.

But then his mind shifted to the Hu sisters, Du Yishuang, and Lan Chudie. Despite all the complicated feelings swirling inside him, he couldn't help but feel a wry amusement. Well, there are many, but still few.

As his thoughts returned to the present, he showed her the letter.

Lan Chudie's eyes widened as she read the task in the letter, her cheerful demeanor faltering. For a moment, she stood still, trying to process the weight of the words before her. Her gaze flickered up to meet Yang Kai's, and she struggled to keep the concern from showing too clearly in her eyes.

"I didn't realize...," she murmured, her voice trailing off as she looked at the task again, her fingers trembling slightly. "This is far beyond anything I imagined."

Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, sensing the shift in her demeanor. She had always been the type to rely on strength, believing that only those who were truly powerful could carve a path for themselves in this brutal world. Her eyes had often gleamed with a pragmatic admiration for strong individuals, always seeking someone who could hold their own in the face of overwhelming odds. To her, he had always been a good candidate for success. But this time, there was something else in her gaze.

"Lan Chudie?" Yang Kai asked softly, his voice pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Do you think I can't handle it?" Yang Kai asked, his tone teasing but also curious, as he tilted his head toward her.

For a moment, she hesitated, her fingers nervously playing with the edge of her robe. The usual pragmatism in her eyes was being replaced by something warmer—something far more vulnerable. She shook her head, unable to hide the conflicted emotions swirling within her. "No, I don't think that. It's just..."

She swallowed hard, her gaze falling to the ground. "I don't want you to go, Yang Kai. I don't want to lose you."

He reached out, lifting her chin gently with his fingers, his touch soft but commanding. "I won't lose myself. Not in this... and not in anything." His gaze bore into hers, voice dipping into something darker, more intimate. "And when I return... I'll show you just how many ways my strength can make you tremble."

Lan Chudie froze—eyes wide, cheeks instantly flushed with crimson. Her breath hitched, heart thundering as her body betrayed the composure she always wore. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came—only a nervous, heated smile that danced on her lips.

After bidding farewell to Lan Chudie, Yang Kai returned to his hut. Upon entering, he found that Xia Ning Chan had vanished—he knew she had left.

The air still carried her scent, soft and faint like a phantom echo of their time together. But now, the room felt emptier, stripped of its warmth.

Without wasting time, Yang Kai began packing his belongings. He didn't need food—his cultivation base could sustain him far beyond what a mortal body required. Survival wasn't the issue.

But sleep? Sleep was another story.

He gathered several thick blankets, rolling them with practiced ease. "Just because I'm headed into hell doesn't mean I have to sleep like a beast," he muttered to himself with a dry smirk. "A little comfort never hurt."

He tossed in a few spare robes, some personal items

With his bundle slung across his shoulder, he gave the hut one last look.

He left behind a letter and used the cover of night to slip away.

Above, balanced on a treetop, a figure silently watched. Her presence went unnoticed. She neither moved nor made a sound—only stared quietly in his direction. As the cold wind brushed against her face, the thin veil she wore fluttered gently, revealing a beauty capable of toppling empires.

She stood there for a long time, unmoving, her gaze fixed on Yang Kai's fading silhouette. Her body hadn't yet fully recovered from the passion of the previous night, and her mind felt hazy with lingering emotions.

Xia Ning Chang hugged her arms tightly, a chill settling into her bones.

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Meanwhile, back at the place where the Great Elders gathered, Cao Zhengwen was calmly recounting the details of how he had sent the promotion letter—using Lan Chudie as the messenger.

Across from him, Wei Xitong choked violently on his tea.

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It wasn't the report that startled him—it was the realization that Cao Zhengwen, of all people, had managed to pull off something so... cunning. He hadn't expected that kind of shrewdness from the man, not after all these years.

Meanwhile, the Second Elder of High Heaven Pavilion, Su Xuan Wu, sat cross-legged before a checkerboard. The black pieces were pressing forward relentlessly, each move cutting off white's options—but the white stones stood firm, holding the line with meticulous precision. It was a match that spoke of balance and tension, destined to end in a draw—unless one side faltered.

A disciple arrived at his side and knelt respectfully before speaking. "Reporting to Elder Su: the task letter was delivered... and he accepted."

Su Xuan Wu didn't look up from the board. For a moment, his fingers paused over the next piece. Then, a strange expression flickered across his face.

"He accepted?" he repeated, brows knitting slightly.

The disciple nodded. "Without hesitation."

Su Xuan Wu leaned back slightly, fingers tapping the edge of the board. He didn't know how to react—surprise, concern.

"Second Elder, shouldn't we do something?" the disciple asked hesitantly.

"No," Su Xuan Wu said firmly, shaking his head. "There's no need for interference. All we need to do... is watch how things unfold."

"Yes, Elder." The disciple bowed, still confused, but dared not question further.