Gao Yunheng heard this and, knowing the main topic had arrived, hastily put down the wine cup in his hand.
He glanced at the woman lying on the table and waved his hand, instructing, "Step down."
As if granted a great reprieve, the woman scrambled up from the table in a panic, threw on an outer robe, and hurried out with her head lowered, terrified that moving too slowly would bring down punishment.
Gao Yunheng clapped his hands again, and the servants standing guard at the door immediately understood, filing in to rapidly clear away the leftover food on the table.
Before long, another batch of servants served freshly brewed tea and several plates of delicate pastries, rearranging them neatly on the table.
Xie Xuan'an held his teacup, in no hurry, waiting for Gao Yunheng to speak.
Gao Yunheng dismissed his attendants, and after only he and Xie Xuan'an remained in the hall, he finally spoke slowly, "The situation... is not very optimistic."
"After the Heavy Martial Pavilion obtained that pill recipe, they have acted far more aggressively than us.
At first, according to the original rules, they only refined people with special physiques.
Later on, however, they innovated in the art of human refining, using ordinary martial artist talent to brew a lower-grade 'immortal pill'.
After taking this pill, one's cultivation can be rapidly enhanced. Though it lacks the miraculous efficacy of a true immortal pill to prolong life, for ordinary martial artists, it is already a supreme temptation.
Using this to win people over, the Heavy Martial Pavilion now enjoys a thousand responses to a single call.
Over the past few months, their operations have grown increasingly smooth.
In just a short time, they have forcefully propped up a batch of experts.
Now, there are no fewer than