Martial Peak
chapter-5297

Yang Kai was not even done raising his current three Disciples, so how could he take on another?

To him, three Disciples were already sufficient. In his life, he was proficient in three Grand Daos, and so three Disciples was just right to receive one inheritance each.

It made him feel a little ashamed to say that he had not done his duty as a Master to his three Disciples, only tutoring them earnestly during their time inside of his Small Universe.

Since they came out of his Small Universe, not to mention teaching them, even seeing them was difficult.

Yang Kai did not even know how the three little ones were doing now, but obviously, with their aptitudes, and them living in the Open Heaven Realm Cradle of the Star Boundary, their future achievements should be boundless.

The Old Ancestor said after pondering for a moment, “Dawn is already full at 50 members. Reasonably, you can’t accept anyone else; however, since you asked, we can make one exception, just this once, but it will not become a precedent.”

“Many thanks, Old Ancestor!” Yang Kai bowed.

Over on the other side, Xiao Cai also thanked them with great glee. With the golden word from the Old Ancestor, it meant that she was one of Dawn’s members from now on.

The Old Ancestor waved her hand and looked thoughtfully at Yang Kai, “Was it worth it to you, exchanging such a large merit for this condition?”

Yang Kai smiled, “Merits are dead but people are alive. These things cannot be compared.”

The Old Ancestor nodded lightly and stood up from her seat, “I’m tired. I’m going back to sleep.”

Saying so, she disappeared in a flash.

“Farewell, Old Ancestor!” Everyone stood up in unison a saluted.

With the Old Ancestor gone, the atmosphere also became livelier. The crowd mingled with each other, exchanging glasses and drinking freely.

As they chatted, Xu Ling Gong was stunned to learn that the soup was made from the beef gifted by Wind and Cloud Pass’ Old Ancestor, and soon he sank into a state of introspection.

All eyes turned to him.

The aura inside of Xu Ling Gong’s body suddenly fluctuated in a not-too-natural way, and the noise in the courtyard transformed into noises of wonder and excitement.

Holding the wine cup in his hand, Xu Ling Gong grinned, “I thought there was something strange about this soup, but it turns out it was a gift from an Old Ancestor. Its effects are extraordinary indeed. After gaining such an opportunity today, I can’t let the Old Ancestor’s kindness go to waste. I will go and advance to the Eighth Order at once. Everyone, please wait for my good news.”

With those words, he drained his wine and took to the skies, his aura still fluctuating incessantly.

He left the crowd to stare at each other and click their tongues in wonder.

Yang Kai did not say much when he took out the beef and handed it to Feng Ying and the others to make soup with, only informing them about its source.

The rest of Dawn was filled with anticipation; after all, it was a gift from an Old Ancestor, so it might have some extraordinary effects.

But when they heard what Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao said after drinking the soup, there was no way that they did not know that this beef was just an ordinary thing without any special effects at all.

Only that the Old Ancestor of Wind and Cloud Pass had raised the ox well, and so the meat was able to impart a deep flavour to the soup.

Xu Ling Gong came later and did not hear what Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao said. He did not know the truth of the matter and only heard by chance that it was a gift from an Old Ancestor, so it was a real surprise that he had been blessed by it.

Both Xu Ling Gong’s Disciples were confused at the strange reaction of the crowd, so Qing Kui asked Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, what’s going on?”

Yang Kai laughed, “It’s nothing. Martial Uncle Xu is advancing to the Eighth Order. This is a rare opportunity, so I will go and stand guard for him.”

As he spoke, he had already taken to the air.

Rather than call it standing guard, it was more accurate to call it observing and emulating. In fact, the moment Xu Ling Gong departed, Great Evolution Pass was filled with countless figures taking to the air, a number of whom were in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.

They had also sensed the fluctuation of Xu Ling Gong’s aura and realized that someone was going to break through to the Eighth Order. Even if none of them knew him before today, they would still take the initiative to stand guard for him.

Most of these people were in the Seventh Order, and among them, many were also qualified to take the same step. In the Black Ink Battlefield, even though a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master advancing to the Eighth-Order was not a once-in-a-millennium event, it wasn’t common either. It was rare for them to encounter such an opportunity, so they would naturally take this chance to observe the process so that when it was their turn to break through in the future, they at least had an example to learn from.

The qualified Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Dawn also followed suit.

Those under the Seventh Order did not move. Their goal for the time being was to advance to the Seventh Order, so Xu Ling Gong’s breakthrough was of little use to them. Premature exposure would not be beneficial to their cultivation either.

Feng Ying flew side by side with Yang Kai, asking through her Divine Sense, “That meat… is there some sort of mystery behind it?”

Yang Kai laughed, “What mystery could there be? The Old Ancestor said that it was just an ordinary item. You drank the soup too, but did you feel anything special about it?”

Feng Ying shook her head.

Yang Kai said, “This is likely just Martial Uncle Xu’s opportunity. Speaking of which, it has been many years since Martial Uncle Xu advanced to the Seventh Order, so he should have reached the critical point to advance to the Eighth Order. During the attack on the Royal City, he was heavily injured, so perhaps he gained some insight while teetering between life and death. When he heard that the meat was a gift from an Old Ancestor, he formed a preconceived notion that it was some sort of divine treasure. Perhaps that spark of inspiration was all he needed to make this next step.”

This was Yang Kai’s guess, but it should be close to the truth; otherwise, there was no way to explain why Xu Ling Gong would suddenly sense an opportunity for a breakthrough.

This was not the work of the Old Ancestor’s gift, but rather Xu Ling Gong’s own opportunity.

In the void, Xu Ling Gong stood alone with the aura inside his body churning like a tidal wave. He was making the final preparations before advancing.

Millions of kilometres away, Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters stood ready in case anything were to happen. Even though they wouldn’t be of much help if something critical went wrong during Xu Ling Gong’s breakthrough, they could still provide a small amount of guidance, which may turn the situation around for Xu Ling Gong at a crucial moment.

Further out were the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, watching from afar.

Even Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao in Great Evolution Pass was looking over in his direction at this moment.

The battle to retake Great Evolution Pass caused nearly half of the Great Evolution Army’s Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to be lost. Now that there were signs of a Seventh-Order Master making a breakthrough, she naturally would not ignore it.

Breakthroughs in the Open Heaven Realm were different from those below it. Below the Open Heaven Realm, the advancement to a new Great Realm was accompanied by a baptism from the Heavenly Way, which was naturally a risk that came from the outside world.

However, after a Small Universe was created inside the body of an Open Heaven Realm Master, breaking through each Order was really an advancement in one’s Small Universe, so all of the dangers came from within, which could be said to be even more dangerous. The slightest mistake could cause irreparable damage.

As time passed, Xu Ling Gong’s aura tumbled more and more violently. Where he stood, a Small Universe vaguely appeared, and this entire World was expanding and contracting, changing incessantly.

That Small Universe was a manifestation of his Martial Dao and all he had comprehended on that journey.

As time passed, the Small Universe gradually grew in size. This growth was destined to break through the limits of the Seventh Order and reach the ranks of the Eighth Order.

The breakthrough took just over a month, which was considered an extremely short amount of time. As expected of Xu Ling Gong as a veteran Seventh-Order. He had a strong heritage and a solid foundation, so even though the advancement process was not completely smooth, it was still calm and steady.

It was clear that he had been preparing for this day for many years.

Every Open Heaven Realm Master with plans to advance to the Eighth Order was the same. Without sharpening one’s spear before battle, who can guarantee that nothing will go wrong?

At one point, when the might of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm swept through the void, a long cry rang out filled with emotions of joy.

On that day, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Xu Ling Gong successfully advanced to the Eighth Order outside of Great Evolution Pass.

This was the first Human Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to advance in Great Evolution Pass after more than 30,000 years, so it bore great significance.

The Eighth-Order Division Commanders who had been standing guard for more than a month all came forward to congratulate him. Xu Ling Gong exchanged pleasantries with the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters all around with a wide grin on his face, greeting them warmly and happily. It was a proud moment in his life, so why dampen it with restraint and humility?

The Old Ancestor also withdrew her Divine Sense, and soon after, Yang Kai felt a faint fluctuation of Space Principles, appearing for just an instant in Great Evolution Pass.

The corners of his mouth twitched as he realized that the Old Ancestor had used the Space Beacon.

Her intentions were so obvious that even a child could understand.

This was a happy event for the Humans, so how could the Old Ancestor not go to the Royal City to report the good news? Who knew whether the Royal Lord was sick of her yet?

“Let’s go,” Yang Kai called out to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Dawn. Everyone gained something during this observation session. At the very least, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters knew what they should do, and had a better idea of what they were going to encounter when they advanced to the Eighth-Order in the future.

This was very useful knowledge for them, and it would save them from having to go through some detours.

On the way back, everyone was chattering loudly, with only Feng Ying remaining silent.

Yang Kai did not pay too much attention to this small detail along the way, and it was only when they returned to the courtyard that Feng Ying said, “Squad Leader, I want to enter retreat.”

Yang Kai looked at her, a little surprised, “Did you have an epiphany?”

Feng Ying nodded.

Yang Kai smiled, “That’s good. In that case, you better not delay it. Hurry and enter retreat.”

Feng Ying did not hesitate to return to her abode at once, activating the Spirit Array to isolate herself, and began cultivating in retreat.

For Xu Ling Gong to advance to the Eighth-Order with one sip of soup was surprising enough; but now, it seemed possible for that soup to birth two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.

Yang Kai even began to question whether there truly was some sort of mysterious effect from that beef given to him by the Old Ancestor.

However, he did not notice anything special from the soup he drank and even Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao herself said that it was just an ordinary thing.

Ultimately, opportunities were mysterious and unpredictable things. For many of Dawn’s members, the soup was just a tasty meal, but for Xu Ling Gong, it was an opportunity for a breakthrough.

Observing and emulating Xu Ling Gong’s advancement then resulted in an opportunity for Feng Ying.

Opportunity after opportunity, it was a mysterious and inexplicable thing.

Yang Kai had no idea where his own opportunity lay, but he knew that even if an opportunity were to appear in front of him right now, it would be difficult for him to grasp it because he did not have sufficient accumulation in the Seventh Order yet.

Only when he had raised his cultivation to the limit and accumulated enough experience would he have a chance to advance to the Eighth Order.

Still, Yang Kai had an advantage that could not be matched by others. There were countless living beings inside of his Small Universe being born, living their lives, growing old, getting sick, and dying, constantly increasing his World Force. Additionally, the World Tree clone was always refining that World Force, allowing it to become purer and denser than any other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.

The purity of his World Force was the foundation that gave Yang Kai the power to suppress his peers in the Seventh Order. Despite being in the same Realm, he was able to exert power several times that of an ordinary Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he was naturally much stronger. In the long run, it would also provide him with a lot of help when he advanced to the Eighth Order.

Yang Kai had no idea how long it would take for him to reach a breakthrough, but he estimated that it would take at least 1,000 years.

Advancement in the Open Heaven Realm had always been a long journey without any shortcuts.