The moment Wen Zishan said that, everyone immediately understood why the opening of the Land of Four Seasons alone had been enough to draw the attention of Emperor Tianshu.
Back when the Devouring Emperor was being eliminated, Emperor Tianshu had participated in the effort as well. It was precisely his divine ability that had allowed them to calculate the Devouring Emperor's movements and see through his path to destruction.
Otherwise, when facing the strongest existence in the Star Realm at that time, who would have dared to act rashly?
That would have been nothing short of seeking death.
"What did... Lord Tianshu say?" Gao Xueting asked nervously.
Wen Zishan replied, "It's not actually that serious. It's just that a Star Seal will actually appear inside the Land of Four Seasons this time, and no one can quite figure out why!"
"A Star Seal?" Qiu Ran's eyebrows shot up. "The token for entering the Shattered Star Sea?"
"Mm."
"But..."
"I know what you want to say." Wen Zishan waved his hand. "In years past, the Star Seals have always appeared at random before the Shattered Star Sea opened, so we never expected that one would show up inside a secret realm. But this time it's probably just a coincidence — it happened to overlap with the opening of the Land of Four Seasons. In any case, they're random appearances by nature. Now that we've received Lord Tianshu's message, we simply have our Disciples search diligently. The number of Star Seals will directly affect how many of our Disciples can enter the Shattered Star Sea in the future. We can't afford to be careless about this."
"If Temple Master puts it that way, it does make sense." Qiu Ran considered this for a moment, then nodded. "In that case, I'll relay the orders and have the Disciples put in extra effort. Oh, Temple Master, since our Qingyang Temple has received Lord Tianshu's message, the other forces..."
"Anyone with even a modicum of power will have received it too," Wen Zishan said.
"If that's so... then the competition for Star Seals is going to make this trip to the Land of Four Seasons several times more dangerous than in previous years." Qiu Ran couldn't help but show a worried expression.
Wen Zishan smiled. "Young saplings need to weather storms. With several times the coddling... they'll never grow."
"You speak truly, Temple Master!" Qiu Ran said respectfully.
"All right, since circumstances have changed, we'll set out early! Relay the order — everyone assembles and departs at dawn tomorrow!" Wen Zishan turned his head toward Gao Xueting as he spoke.
"Yes!" Gao Xueting answered.
Wen Zishan grinned again. "Elder Gao, don't forget what you promised me..."
Gao Xueting's delicate face shifted slightly. She said through gritted teeth, "Does it really have to be like that?"
Wen Zishan chuckled. "What? Thinking of going back on your word? That wouldn't do at all... A person without integrity cannot stand..."
Gao Xueting said resentfully, "Understood, sir! I certainly won't let Temple Master... down!"
By the end, she looked as though she were gnashing her teeth, her beautiful eyes brimming with an accusation born of blood and tears!
"I'll be looking forward to it!" Wen Zishan burst into hearty laughter, seemingly in very high spirits, and in the blink of an eye he had vanished without a trace.
Everyone cast puzzled looks at Gao Xueting, having no idea what had transpired between her and the Temple Master.
"Sister Gao..." Chen Qian began with some concern.
"Don't say anything. You'll find out tomorrow." Gao Xueting's mood had plummeted to its lowest ebb. She was acting somewhat abnormally, her chest heaving with agitation — clearly she had been thoroughly infuriated and had absolutely no desire to explain.
"Fine... I guess!"
That night, Yang Kai received word that they were to assemble at Luoying Peak the following day.
What surprised him was that the one who delivered the message was none other than Xiao Baiyi.
The man delivered a single cold remark and left without so much as a glance back, showing no interest in conversing with Yang Kai whatsoever.
Yang Kai naturally didn't mind. He simply surmised that the early assembly likely had something to do with the events of the day.
The next morning, he rose early and headed straight for Luoying Peak.
Before long, he arrived at the square atop the summit.
Quite a few people had already gathered there — some at the Dao Source Realm, others at the Emperor Realm. Qiu Ran and Chen Qian, both of whom Yang Kai had seen before, were among them. When they spotted him arrive, they merely glanced over before paying him no further attention.
The Dao Source Realm Disciples, however, all regarded Yang Kai with open curiosity.
Word of his battle with Xue Yi had apparently spread, and everyone was quite interested in this stranger. Upon sensing that he was truly only at the first level of the Dao Source Realm, several of them couldn't help but show faint flickers of surprise on their faces.
Xiao Baiyi stood among the crowd as well, not even deigning to look at Yang Kai.
Having never met any of these people before, Yang Kai naturally had no intention of making a fool of himself. He found an empty corner and stood there quietly to wait.
Come to think of it, since arriving in the Star Realm, this was the first time he had seen such a large gathering of elite Sect Disciples. But he considered himself no weaker than anyone else, so there was no sense of inferiority.
Just as he stood there waiting in peace, he suddenly sensed someone walking toward him.