"Sect Master Ye!" After returning the courtesy, Yang Kai's attention was immediately drawn to the massive platform ahead. His eyes locked onto it, studying it closely, brilliant light flickering within his gaze.
"Young Master Yang…" Ye Jinghan was about to say something when Ye Hen suddenly raised a hand, cutting her off, and made a silencing gesture.
Ye Jinghan realized she had been somewhat abrupt and playfully stuck out her tongue. She stood beside her father, waiting with a touch of unease.
Before the platform, the three of them remained silent for a long while. Ye Hen and his daughter kept watching Yang Kai's expressions, but Yang Kai had already plunged his full concentration into the platform before him.
This platform was clearly an enormous formation base.
Yang Kai's understanding of formation principles was limited. The only type of formation he had truly mastered was the spatial formation, and that was thanks to Yang Yan. Back when he had been setting up spatial formations across the Dark Star and even his home Star Field, he had put in no small amount of effort, and Yang Yan had personally passed on the methods of spatial formation construction to him.
So Yang Kai's comprehension of spatial formations was thorough in the extreme.
With a sweep of his divine sense, he immediately detected that the formation base platform was inscribed with countless intricate formation diagrams, all interconnected into a hub that linked the Star Boundary with the secret realm's passage.
Those formation diagrams were extraordinarily profound. Although they differed in many ways from what Yang Kai himself had learned, he only needed to ponder them for a short while before grasping them completely. More than that, from those diagrams, he gleaned insights into other things that set his mind racing.
The formation knowledge that Yang Yan had taught him was undoubtedly top-tier — surpassing what was contained within this formation base platform in every regard.
But the wisdom of others could sharpen one's own craft, and the formation diagrams inscribed in this base still yielded something of value for Yang Kai.
After more than half a day, Yang Kai finally drew a deep breath, withdrew his divine sense, and his eyes shone bright.
"Young Master Yang…" Seeing that he had finally come back to himself, Ye Jinghan called out, still carrying a note of apprehension.
Ye Hen also asked with some nervousness, "Young Master Yang, did you discover anything?"
Yang Kai nodded. "Your Sect's ancestors were truly exceptional people. The one who constructed this formation was undoubtedly a grandmaster of formations. Let me put it this way — the formation base on this end is perfectly fine. It has simply run out of energy. All that's needed is a fresh supply of power to set it running again."
Ye Hen's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he exclaimed in a low voice, "Can Young Master Yang be certain of that?" He paused, then added awkwardly, "It's not that I doubt Young Master Yang's word. It's just that this matter concerns my Thousand Leaf Sect…"
Yang Kai smiled faintly. "I understand, Sect Master Ye, there's no need to explain. But I can tell you with certainty that the formation base on this end is completely undamaged. And even… even if it were damaged, given the materials, I could refine a new one."
Ye Hen's entire body jolted. He stared at Yang Kai in disbelief, only now realizing that he had underestimated Yang Kai's accomplishments in spatial arts. He had assumed that even if Yang Kai had some insight into spatial power, his youth and cultivation level meant it could not possibly run very deep. But hearing him speak so confidently now, he knew he had been wrong. Yang Kai's mastery of spatial power was likely second to none in the entire Star Boundary.
Otherwise, he could never have spoken with such certainty about refining a formation base platform.
Ye Jinghan said, "If the formation base on this end is fine, then why did the secret realm's entrance close?"
Yang Kai replied, "Spatial formations operate through a dual connection. No problems here doesn't mean there aren't problems on the other side. It's possible that the formation base over there has been damaged, which is why it can no longer be activated."
"The other side…" Ye Hen's brow furrowed, and he cried out in alarm, "Young Master Yang, are you saying the formation base inside the secret realm has been damaged?"
"That is most likely the case."
"What are we to do then?" Ye Jinghan's face went pale. "If the formation base on the other side is damaged, there's no way to teleport over. Even with a method of repair, we couldn't use it."
Ye Hen looked to Yang Kai with hope and asked, "Young Master Yang, do you have any solution?"
Yang Kai grinned. "For most people, a damaged formation base on the other end would indeed make teleportation impossible. But if one possesses spatial power, it may well be possible to trace the connection between the two bases and open a passage directly to the other side. So… I should be able to give it a try."
He did not overpromise. Even with eighty percent confidence, he knew that the more hope one gave before the matter was settled, the greater the disappointment if things went wrong. He had always been a cautious man.
Ye Hen could not contain his excitement upon hearing this. He cupped his fists and said, "If Young Master Yang can truly restore this formation, then you will be the benefactor of our Thousand Leaf Sect. In the future, should Young Master Yang ever have need of us, the Thousand Leaf Sect will obey without hesitation, even unto death!"
Yang Kai said mildly, "Sect Master Ye, you flatter me. Still… I can certainly try, though it may take some time. I have a few friends still within the Thousand Leaf Sect — I would ask that Sect Master Ye look after them."
"That goes without saying." Ye Hen nodded, seeming to understand what Yang Kai was concerned about, and immediately added, "I will personally ensure they are well cared for. Should any harm come to them in the slightest, Young Master Yang may hold me fully accountable."
"Good." Yang Kai nodded, then added, "Does Sect Master Ye happen to have a map of the interior of that secret realm? If I do manage to teleport over there, I may need to repair the formation base on that side, which would require finding certain materials within the secret realm."