Upon hearing this, Wen Zishan smiled and said, "Having such fine talent join the Divine Temple would naturally be ideal, but it depends on what he himself wishes. Still… it may well be worth a try."
With that, he turned to Gao Xueting. "Elder Gao, among us all, you know him best. I'll leave this matter in your hands."
"I don't know him particularly well either," Gao Xueting replied evenly. "But since the Temple Master has given the order, I'll see what I can do."
Wen Zishan gave a slight nod, then changed the subject. "Now then, let's discuss what kind of rewards would be appropriate for those Disciples…"
…
On Flying Swallow Peak of the Azure Sun Divine Temple, Yang Kai returned to this place once more.
The palace that had been damaged during his fierce battle with Xue Yi had been restored to pristine condition. After entering, Yang Kai activated the Restriction Barrier, rested for half a day, and then began inspecting his gains from this expedition to the Four Seasons Land.
This trip into the Four Seasons Land, though he had failed to obtain the Tribulation Calamity Fruit, had still yielded considerable rewards overall.
Setting aside the considerable number of demon beast inner cores of varying grades, the spirit flowers and exotic herbs he had transplanted into the herb garden of the Small Mysterious World were already a bountiful harvest. Among these spirit flowers and herbs, ice-attributed specimens formed the majority.
After all, during his time in the Four Seasons Land, Yang Kai had spent the longest period in the Domain of Winter, where Little Snowflake had guided him through his explorations. It could be said that he had claimed at least a tenth of the Domain of Winter's treasures.
These spirit flowers and herbs had been freshly gathered on the spot and immediately transplanted into the herb garden. The environment within the Small Mysterious World's garden was special, with optimal growing conditions and the miraculous vitality radiating from the Ageless Tree — a supreme treasure of heaven and earth — so there was absolutely no concern about these plants losing their vitality. On the contrary, their growth cycle within the garden would be drastically shortened.
A single year of cultivation in the herb garden would be equivalent to at least a hundred years of medicinal maturity.
Beyond these, there was the Time Fruit obtained from the Chronos Divine Temple. While it held no benefit for martial Cultivation, it possessed extraordinary effects in another regard. If refined into a Time Pill, it would surely drive countless warriors into a frenzy.
A single dose could regress one's physical condition by decades, or even hundreds or thousands of years. For warriors approaching the end of their natural lifespan, this held immense, almost irresistible appeal.
Particularly for women of all ages… who wouldn't want to look younger?
While the Time Pill's effects were not as remarkable as those of the legendary Youth Preservation Pill — said to grant perpetual youthful appearance — the two served different purposes, and comparing them was no easy matter.
If a wrinkled old woman were given the choice, she would surely opt for the Time Pill over the Youth Preservation Pill, for the latter would do nothing for her aged face. The Time Pill, however, could restore her vigor and youth.
Meanwhile, if a young and beautiful woman were to choose, the Youth Preservation Pill would undoubtedly hold greater appeal.
Yang Kai secretly planned that once he left the Azure Sun Divine Temple, he would find an opportunity to gather the necessary medicinal ingredients and refine the Time Pill. It might prove invaluable in a critical moment.
Beyond these items, there remained a miscellaneous collection of oddities.
These included spoils of war taken from those he had killed, as well as the Spirit Energy Hearts obtained from defeating the puppets within the Chronos Divine Temple — all of which held little personal value for him. He could exchange them for Source Crystals when the opportunity arose.
Presently, a jade vial appeared in Yang Kai's hand. He uncapped it, and at once a pill-like object caught his eye.
The Emperor's Ultimate Pill!
This was the very Emperor's Ultimate Pill he had obtained from Wuchang.
Sealed within the Emperor's Ultimate Pill was the full-power strike of an expert at the Emperor Realm — its power was beyond imagination, and its refinement was incalculably difficult. Generally speaking, only a Second-Order Emperor Realm expert was qualified to craft such a thing, and it was always made as a life-saving consumable to bestow upon junior members of one's lineage.
Each time an Emperor's Ultimate Pill was condensed, the Emperor Realm expert who forged it would be weakened for a considerable period. For this reason, they were reluctant to create them unless absolutely necessary, and even when they did, it was only on rare occasions and in small quantities.
Thus, throughout the entire Star Boundary, the Emperor's Ultimate Pill remained one of the rarest of treasures.
And this particular pill had come from the Chronos Divine Temple — a relic left behind by the Chronos Great Emperor. Though it was unclear in which era the Chronos Great Emperor had refined it, its value and grade were certain to far surpass those of an ordinary Emperor's Ultimate Pill.
Perhaps what was sealed within was the strike of a Great Emperor, or perhaps one at the Third-Order Emperor Realm.
In any case, it was a genuine life-saving trump card. In a moment of crisis, even surrounded by countless enemies and faced with overwhelming power, it could turn the tide from peril to safety.
Yang Kai carefully stored it away, placing it in an easily accessible position within his Spatial Ring, before turning his gaze to the three beads before him.
These three beads were identical in size and shape — the only difference was their color.
One was flame-red, a treasure Yang Kai had obtained from the Chronos Divine Temple.
At the time, there had been so many valuable items within the Temple, and Lan Xun had identified nearly all of them. Yet she had been unable to discern the origin of this crimson bead, nor could she determine its purpose.
Yang Kai, however, faithfully remembered the words the Sacred Spirit Qiongqi had relayed through Zhang Ruoxi: "If you can reach the innermost depths of the Temple, you must take the object that appears the most useless."