Martial Peak

After several more days, Zhang Ruo Xi’s Small Universe finally settled, and she succeeded in her breakthrough.  

Her Small Universe had grown significantly in both volume and territory, and her aura had reached the esteemed level of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. It was a sight that left Yang Kai in awe, marvelling at the unique wonder of her Heaven’s Order Bloodline that allowed her to overcome the innate limitations of the Open Heaven Realm method. Without this exceptional gift, Ruo Xi’s Martial Dao would have hit a ceiling at the peak of the Seventh Order.

This realization stirred up a twinge of envy in Yang Kai, who was still struggling to ascend to the Ninth-Order Realm.

However, he needn’t worry about what came next for Ruo Xi. With her successful ascension to the Eighth Order, all she needed to do was to enter retreat for a period to consolidate her newfound strength. As she continued to cultivate, her Small Universe’s heritage would grow stronger, and its territory would expand endlessly until it reached another limit. By then, she should be able to break through once again.

Only then would she be able to enter the Ninth-Order Realm!

Yang Kai turned to the two others and said, “I too must enter retreat for a while. Please look after Ruo Xi while I’m gone.”

Big Brother Huang nodded and replied, “There’s no need for you to worry.”

After bowing to them in gratitude, Yang Kai left a vast amount of Five Elements materials for Ruo Xi to use. She no longer needed Yin and Yang Element materials, after all, with Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan here, how could she possibly lack them?

After settling everything with Ruo Xi, Yang Kai manipulated Space Principles and left to find a broken Universe Fragment in the void far away, where he sat cross-legged and began to meditate.

Ruo Xi’s breakthrough had given him much to ponder over, and he needed to enter retreat to reflect on what he witnessed. But, with the lesson from before, he had to pay more attention and care to himself.

This retreat wasn’t just about improving his cultivation, but also a moment for him to explore his own Grand Dao and ponder over the mysteries of the Creation Realm.

Time flew by quickly in the desolate void.

After a few years, Zhang Ruo Xi awakened to find her new Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation had barely stabilized. Upon discovering that Yang Kai had also gone into retreat, she couldn’t help feeling a sense of disappointment.

But soon, she was swept up in a grand and wondrous plan by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. After witnessing Zhang Ruo Xi’s ability to harmonize their Yin and Yang Powers, the two of them secretly concocted this plan, knowing that its success would have profound significance for themselves and the Human Race.

Although they had only just met, there was no sense of estrangement among these three, as if they were all part of the same family. Even Ruo Xi was caught off guard, realising only later that these two were the legendary Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer. But, looking at their youthful appearances and demeanour, she found it hard to see them as Supreme Beings from the Primordial Era, so she decided to treat them like children.

Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were quite pleased with her decision.

They performed a small experiment, and it proved to be completely feasible. Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were so happy that they almost shed tears of joy.

But, although the plan was workable, it was difficult to implement at the moment because Ruo Xi’s strength was still lacking. She needed to become much stronger before they could perfectly execute their idea.

So, the two Primordial Era Supremes urged her to cultivate.

Fortunately, before Yang Kai went into retreat, he left behind a lot of Five Elements materials. Ruo Xi had some reserves of her own as well, which prevented her from being in the embarrassing situation of not having enough resources.

Ordinary Masters usually cultivated by building up the heritage of their Small Universe, and even if they chose to refine materials, they needed to consume complete sets of Seven Elements.

But in the Chaotic Dead Territory, with the assistance of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, Ruo Xi did not need to go through this trouble. She only needed to refine materials of the Five Elements.

As for the Yin and Yang Element Powers, it was easy to draw them from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. It was the utmost primal and pure power that was difficult for anyone in this world to resolve and harmonize, but that issue was completely resolved thanks to her Heaven’s Order Bloodline.

This meant that Zhang Ruo Xi had to refine two fewer materials than other Masters, saving her nearly 30% of her cultivation time.

That was a terrifying improvement in efficiency.

To advance from the Eighth Order to the Ninth Order required on average 10,000 years of accumulation, so a 30% reduction could easily save some 3,000 years of arduous effort.

In the Chaotic Dead Territory, while Yang Kai was in retreat to reflect on his various epiphanies, Ruo Xi also entered retreat to cultivate. Meanwhile, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan took turns infusing her Small Universe with their Power. They were careful not to overdo it so that Zhang Ruo Xi would not be overwhelmed again.

In their spare time, they also trained a large army of Small Stone Race Soldiers for Yang Kai.

Previously, they had only trained them to pass the time. From the Primordial Era to the present, this was the only game that relieved their boredom. But now that they had Zhang Ruo Xi, they had something to look forward to, a hope for the future.

Time passed by quickly, and soon an entire century had gone by.

In the void, Yang Kai opened his eyes with a look of confusion. The more he pondered, the more he found himself unable to grasp the essence of the Grand Dao. He couldn’t help but feel nostalgic for the days when he was not as powerful, when all he had to do was focus on increasing his strength. But now, he had to embark on a quest to uncover the true nature of the Grand Dao and Heavenly Way, and on this slow and arduous path of the Martial Dao, the higher he stood and the more he saw, the more lost he felt.

Letting out a light sigh, Yang Kai ceased his ruminations. He knew that his confusion stemmed from not standing high enough. Perhaps after ascending to the Ninth Order, things would change for him.

After spending 100 years in retreat, he had some gains. He had contemplated much about his own Grand Daos and the Creation Realm, but for now, those insights were of no use.

“Yang Kai, come over here!” Big Brother Huang’s voice suddenly sounded in his ear. Clearly, he had sensed that Yang Kai had ended his retreat.

Feeling his urgency, Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat, fearing that something might have happened to Zhang Ruo Xi. So, he urged Space Principles and stepped forward, arriving at Big Brother Huang’s side as he asked, “What happened?”

Before his eyes, Ruo Xi sat cross-legged, refining materials to enhance her Small Universe heritage. Her aura was calm and there was no trace of abnormality. Compared to 100 years ago, her aura was noticeably denser, a sign of her growing strength.

Big Brother Huang asked, “Do you have any more Five Elements materials? Bring them all out.”

Glancing at the illusory Heaven’s Order phantom behind Ruo Xi’s Small Universe, Yang Kai realized what was happening, “Are you two helping Ruo Xi cultivate?”

He had a considerable amount of Five Elements materials in his possession, originally prepared for his own future Ninth-Order advancement, but now that Ruo Xi needed them, he would not be stingy.

He secretly felt that bringing Ruo Xi to the Chaotic Dead Territory was the right decision; at least with Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s help, her growth would surely accelerate.

If only he had another World Tree clone for her, that would be even better.

Unfortunately, the Old Tree was not in good shape at the moment. Last time he had asked for three World Tree Clone seedlings, which was already the limit. If he were to ask again, it would be asking for too much.

Given all the Five Elements materials he had, it would be enough for Ruo Xi to cultivate for thousands of years, so Yang Kai handed them all to Big Brother Huang, saying, “I’ll figure out a way to get some more and send them over later.”

Big Brother Huang nodded in acceptance.ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ ɴovᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet

Yang Kai glanced at Ruo Xi once more and said, “I’ll leave Ruo Xi to Big Brother and Big Sister. I still need to look after the Human Race and cannot stay here for long. Farewell.”

Big Sister Lan reassured him, “Rest assured, she will be safe here.”

At present, the greatest danger was the Black Ink Clan; however, since suffering a catastrophic defeat in the Chaotic Dead Territory, they dared not set foot in here again. Under normal circumstances, they would not even approach the Chaotic Dead Territory for fear of provoking the two Supreme Beings inside.

Yang Kai responded with a nod. When he was ready to leave, Ruo Xi suddenly opened her eyes and shouted, “Sir, wait!”

Yang Kai paused to look at her as Ruo Xi said, “I still have to return this item to you, Sir.”

Saying so, she activated her power, and a seven-coloured lotus flower flew out from her forehead. It was the Soul Warming Lotus that Yang Kai had lent her before.

“Sir, you are constantly travelling outside, facing many dangers. You must be careful,” she reminded him.

In response, Yang Kai nodded, took the Soul Warming Lotus, and smiled, “You should continue to cultivate here. When you reach the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm one day, we shall fight the enemy together!”

Ruo Xi obediently nodded.

After a moment of watching Yang Kai leave, Ruo Xi sat down cross-legged again and continued to refine Five Elements materials to enhance herself.

In the world of Masters, there were always many farewells. Perhaps a seemingly ordinary separation would be a permanent one, especially in the current environment. To avoid such a situation, one could only become stronger, because only through sufficient strength could one protect those they cared for!

After leaving the Chaotic Dead Territory, Yang Kai did not linger and returned directly to the Supreme Headquarters.

As soon as he exchanged a few words with Mi Jing Lun, who was overseeing the situation, Yang Kai learned that the various battlefields had remained much the same over the years, allowing him to relax slightly.

In fact, whether it was the Human Race or the Black Ink Clan, they were both in the process of accumulating strength. On the Humans’ side, due to the output of talents from the Star Boundary, Myriad Monsters World, and even Yang Kai’s Small Universe, High-Rank Open Heavens Realm Masters were emerging one after another.

This was especially so for rising stars who directly ascended to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm during these past years. Many of them had already entered the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm and had been in this realm for a few years!

As for the battles on the various battlefields, that had not slowed down their cultivation speed. On the contrary, the repeated life and death stimulation tempered their willpower and endurance, allowing them to constantly make breakthroughs and improve.

It was estimated that it would not take long before the first of the rising stars of the Human Race saw the hope of advancing to the Ninth Order.

The Black Ink Clan was the same. There were many new Territory Lords, more than the Eighth-Order Masters. This was also inevitable; after all, Black Ink Clansmen could be created from Black Ink Nests, leading their numbers to surpass those of the Human Race. Among the billions of Black Ink Clansmen, there would always be some lucky ones whose strength improved rapidly.

A tacit understanding between the two Races had been achieved!

Now, it only remained to be seen which side could outpace the other, allowing them to seize the initiative.

According to the statistics of the Supreme Headquarters, the Human Race did not have much of an advantage. Overall, it was easier for the Black Ink Clan to cultivate than the Humans. In the future, the Black Ink Clan might be able to create Royal Lords earlier than the Human Race!

The only advantage of the Human Race lay in their greater individual strength, their intelligence, and their will to resist!