Yang Kai just wanted to get closer to the depths below and absorb more Yang Qi for his cultivation.
Besides, the howling gales beside Kunlong Gorge made the cultivation environment practically unbearable.
If he could carve out a cave in the cliff face, he'd at least be spared the misery of wind and sun.
The ropes he'd bought, strung together, were long enough to let him descend a hundred zhang. When he reached the end of the rope, Yang Kai looked down—Kunlong Gorge was still bottomless, the depths completely hidden from view.
A chill ran through him. If the rope snapped now of all times...
But the Yang Qi here really was far denser than up above.
Yang Kai was satisfied. He looked around for a moment, then tapped carefully at the nearby cliff wall, scouting for a decent spot.
There was an old pine tree growing at an angle from the rock face, its dense canopy spreading out like a massive umbrella. If he carved out a space beneath the tree, it could shield him from wind and rain—a natural advantage.
Mind made up, Yang Kai forced a drop of Yang Liquid from his dantian, condensed it at his fingertip, and shaped it into a blade. Then he cut into the rock in front of him.
There was hardly any resistance. The sharpness of the Yang Liquid blade lived up to his expectations, slicing straight through a chunk of stone.
When Yang Kai had still been at the third layer of the Kaiyuan Realm, a Yang Liquid blade could already destroy a mortal-grade, mid-tier defensive Artifact. Now that his strength had grown considerably, cutting through rock was effortless.
He didn't have much Yang Liquid left in his dantian. Most of what he'd gained in the Inheritance Grotto-heaven had been used up during his dual cultivation with Su Yan, and only a meager four or five drops remained.
It took a full three drops before Yang Kai carved out an opening large enough for a person to squeeze through. He crawled inside and kept cutting, tossing each freed chunk of stone down into Kunlong Gorge.
A long, long time later, the sound of rock hitting ground finally drifted up from below. Judging by the interval between sounds, Yang Kai could roughly estimate the gorge's depth.
He did the math and clicked his tongue—Kunlong Gorge had to be at least ten thousand zhang deep.
After half a day, the cave had expanded considerably, and his Yang Liquid was completely spent.
Without Yang Liquid, his own raw strength alone wasn't enough to keep carving.
He pulled a bottle from inside his robe—Xia Ningshang had brought it yesterday. Thinking of that junior sister of his, a pang of guilt hit him again.
Thankfully, he hadn't done too much that night in Nine Yin Valley, or he'd have no idea how to face her now.
He swallowed a few pills, condensed some more Yang Liquid, and went back to carving out his cave.
He worked with boundless energy and excitement, not feeling the slightest bit of fatigue. Watching the cave gradually expand, Yang Kai felt like a powerful cultivator establishing his own secret retreat.
Several days passed with Yang Kai toiling inside the cave. Whenever his Yang Liquid ran out, he replenished it with pills brewed by Xia Ningshang. When he was thirsty, dew collected on the ancient pine above each morning provided for him. Hunger was hardly an issue—at the Qi Movement Realm, going a month without food was perfectly fine, though over longer stretches he still needed to eat.
Seven days later, the cave was more or less complete.
Yang Kai stood inside, gazing at his hard-won handiwork, and a wave of satisfaction washed over him. He grinned like a fool.
The cave was now twice the size of his little wooden hut. The area nearest the entrance served as his meditation spot—sitting there, he couldn't feel the howling gales of Kunlong Gorge at all, only a faint wailing hum. The environment was incomparably better than cultivating at the very top.
Facing the entrance, a small stone chamber sat to his left. It wasn't large—Yang Kai had set it aside to store miscellaneous belongings. The three-leaf residual soul flowers and desolate wood grass he'd bought at Black Wind Market were kept inside.
The chamber to his right was slightly bigger and served as his resting quarters. He'd even carved out a stone bed inside, its surface flat and smooth—he'd spent a long time sanding it down so sleeping on it wouldn't be the least bit uncomfortable.
For reasons he couldn't quite explain, the stone bed was enormous—big enough for two or three people to roll around on.
Ahem... better safe than sorry, Yang Kai thought.
There was also a chamber in the middle, left empty for now since he wasn't sure what to put in it.
This was Yang Kai's new cave dwelling. Spartan as it was, it felt remarkably cozy inside—far more inviting than that little wooden hut.
Hardly anyone ever came to Kunlong Gorge. In the future, if there were things inconvenient to carry around, he could stash them all here without worrying about anyone finding them.
After a moment's thought, Yang Kai climbed back up along the rope, carving out handholds and footholds along the way. That way, he wouldn't need the rope to get in and out anymore, and he'd eliminate the risk of someone following the rope to discover his cave.
He untied the rope from the boulder and returned to his dwelling.
After all those days of effort, he'd finally built a cultivation space of his own. This cultivation environment was probably superior to what most disciples in all of Lingxiao Pavilion enjoyed.