"Why did Senior Luo come in person?"
After inviting Luo Lan into his palace and settling her in the reception hall, Yang Kai finally asked.
"Young Brother is a friend of the Young Master. It was only natural for me to come personally." Luo Lan pressed her lips together in a smile. "What, you're not welcoming me?"
"How could I dare? Senior's presence truly graces my humble abode," Yang Kai chuckled.
There was no such thing as climbing a temple without a reason. He certainly didn't believe that someone like Luo Lan would have nothing better to do than come all the way here to admire the scenery. As for the reason she'd given — that wasn't really a reason at all.
He merely had a resource trade with the Sword Alliance. Something so minor that Luo Lan could have dispatched anyone to handle it. There was no need for her to come in person.
Yang Kai vaguely sensed that Luo Lan had some other purpose for this visit, but since she showed no intention of revealing it, he decided to play ignorant.
"Your place is quite secluded and peaceful," Luo Lan remarked, glancing around. This palace sprawled over an area ten li in radius, yet only Yang Kai and the three of them — Yue Xi and her two disciples — resided within. Yue Xi and her disciples had been in closed-door Cultivation the entire time, which meant that, effectively, only Yang Kai occasionally walked the grounds.
Ordinarily, the palace was indeed utterly silent and deeply tranquil.
"Why haven't you had Zhu Li find some servants?" Luo Lan asked, seemingly out of concern.
Yang Kai laughed. "There's no need for that. I can handle anything myself — what would I need servants for?"
"Fair enough. Seclusion has its merits," Luo Lan said with a smile, then suddenly added, "Ah, here are the Space Spirit Crystals you requested. I've had people gathering them diligently, but as you know, Space Spirit Crystals are quite rare. I'm not sure whether this quantity will meet your requirements."
As she spoke, Luo Lan produced a Space Ring, flicked it with a finger, and it floated gently toward Yang Kai.
Yang Kai reached out and caught it, then sent a thread of Divine Sense inside to inspect its contents. His brow creased almost imperceptibly.
Luo Lan observed his reaction and asked in surprise, "What? Even with this many Space Spirit Crystals, Young Brother still finds it insufficient?"
Yang Kai considered for a moment, then nodded. "It's not a lot."
Luo Lan's expression turned serious. "What do you need so many Space Spirit Crystals for? As far as I know, apart from forging Space Rings, there's no other use for them."
Yang Kai chuckled softly but did not answer.
Luo Lan seemed to realize she had asked something she shouldn't have. "I was merely curious — please don't mind it. How about this: wait a bit longer, and I'll send word to the main planet to have them gather more for you?"
"How long would that take?" Yang Kai asked.
"The main planet isn't close by. Even after they're gathered, sending them here would take time — at least a year. Though I can't say how many Space Spirit Crystals they'd be able to find."
"Then forget it." Yang Kai shook his head slowly.
The Space Spirit Crystals Luo Lan had brought this time were, in a certain sense, not few. But for Yang Kai's needs, they were far from enough. At best, they would be sufficient to set up a single Super Space Array — hardly enough to satisfy his requirements.
To connect the Profound Continent with the Dark Star, he would need at least two or three more Space Arrays as relay points in between!
"Space Spirit Crystals are extremely difficult to form. Generally, they appear as companion minerals within certain mineral veins, and their quantity is scarce. However, I've heard that within certain spatial rifts, vast quantities of Space Spirit Crystals can be found growing…" Luo Lan abruptly changed to an unrelated topic, then lowered her voice mysteriously. "Would Young Brother be interested in going to search for them yourself?"
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly and let out a low laugh. "So this is the real reason Senior came in person?"
Luo Lan's face blossomed into a radiant smile, and she made no attempt to deny it. "Since you've seen through me, there's no point in hiding it."
"Does Senior know where such spatial rifts containing Space Spirit Crystals can be found?" Yang Kai asked.
"I do." Luo Lan nodded. "The question is whether Young Brother wishes to go."
"And if I said I didn't?" Yang Kai replied with a grin.
Luo Lan didn't seem the least bit surprised. She smiled lightly. "Well… apart from the Space Spirit Crystals that may exist there, there is also a Void Beast."
"A Void Beast?" Yang Kai's expression turned solemn, and he let out a sharp exhalation. He then fixed Luo Lan with a deep, steady gaze. "It would seem that Senior is already aware I'm proficient in spatial power. Did you learn this from Gu Jianxin?"
"If not for that, why do you think I came in person?" Luo Lan laughed melodiously. "Since you used spatial power in front of the Young Master, you should have expected me to find out. There's nothing surprising about it. But rest assured — I know about this, the Young Master knows, and no one else will learn of it."