In other words, a possessor of a high-level Star Seal could detect the hiding place of a low-level Star Seal holder from a great distance.
No matter how ingenious a secret art one employed, if one's Star Seal was inferior to another's, one would inevitably be found. This characteristic of the Star Seal meant that every time the Shattered Star Sea opened, it became a bloodbath. In order to upgrade their Star Seals, many cultivators were more than willing to resort to killing.
This characteristic was practically heaven-defying, and hearing it left Yang Kai with a grave expression.
He hadn't been particularly concerned about the level of his Star Seal before. In his mind, as long as it was sufficient, there was no need to pursue a higher grade. But now, after hearing Hua Qingsi's explanation, Yang Kai understood that to ensure one's own safety, one's Star Seal had to be high enough in rank. Otherwise, one could very well be detected.
This characteristic indirectly drove cultivators to kill and plunder one another! It forced every cultivator in the Shattered Star Sea, whether willing or not, to find every possible means of raising their Star Seal's level.
"The uses of the Star Seal are more or less what I've described. However, I've also heard of another legend..." As Hua Qingsi spoke, her expression suddenly turned solemn.
Zhang Ruoxi asked nervously, "What is it?"
Hua Qingsi looked at Yang Kai and said, "The legend says that if one can obtain the highest-grade Nine-Rayed Star Seal, it will point the way to the inheritance of the Heaven Devouring Emperor!"
"Is that true?" Yang Kai looked stunned.
Hua Qingsi pressed her lips together and smiled. "Ever since the Shattered Star Sea came into existence, this legend has circulated endlessly. Whether it's true or false, no one has been able to verify it, because no one has ever managed to upgrade their Star Seal to the highest level, so naturally there's no way to confirm it." She paused, then continued, "However, this shouldn't be very appealing to you, Young Master Yang."
The Avatar cultivated the Heaven Devouring Art, which was precisely the Heaven Devouring Emperor's inheritance. Yang Kai naturally had no need to pursue this.
"It doesn't appeal to me, but others may feel differently," Yang Kai said, his expression growing serious. He had suddenly realized that in this Shattered Star Sea, the Star Seal was practically a double-edged sword and the source of all bloody sin. It offered considerable help to cultivators here, but its various characteristics also led to savage killings among them.
If the Star Seal didn't exist, the likelihood of conflict among cultivators would be far lower.
"Of course, not everyone is looking for the Heaven Devouring Emperor's inheritance. Within the Shattered Star Sea, there are other treasures left behind by various Emperors. These are things that all of us cultivators yearn for. I've heard that during the Shattered Star Sea's opening five thousand years ago, one person discovered the Indestructible Green Lotus of the Green Lotus Emperor and thus inherited the Green Lotus Emperor's mantle."
"What happened to that person?" Liu Yan asked calmly.
Hua Qingsi replied, "The Green Lotus Palace, a top-tier sect that now resounds throughout the Eastern Domain, was founded by that person. He is none other than the Palace Master of the Green Lotus Palace."
"That person certainly had good fortune," Yang Kai said, raising an eyebrows.
"Fortune is destiny. Which of us cultivators doesn't rely on destiny in our cultivation?" Hua Qingsi said wistfully.
Yang Kai agreed wholeheartedly. Any cultivator who managed to reach the Dao Source Realm required tremendous destiny. If one's destiny was deep enough, one could go further and glimpse the mysteries of the Emperor Realm. If not, one would be stuck wandering the Dao Source Realm for a lifetime.
"Enough about that for now. There is some residual Origin Power here. Let's refine and absorb it together," Yang Kai said.
Originally, a star's Origin Power should have been hidden somewhere within the interior of the cultivation star. Finding it would have required tremendous effort, but this cultivation star had long since shattered, and the residual Origin Power had already dispersed. So there was no need to search for it at all—they only needed to refine and absorb it directly.
Upon hearing this, Hua Qingsi and the others nodded and each found a spot to sit cross-legged, silently circulating their cultivation techniques.
Yang Kai did the same. Although he didn't think much of the Origin Power here, the previous speaker had made a valid point. Small gains accumulate; sand piles up to form a tower. Quantitative change, once it reaches a certain degree, will inevitably trigger qualitative change.
Origin Power was a very special kind of energy. Refining and absorbing it would not directly increase a cultivator's strength. However, it could bring tremendous benefits to any cultivator. Especially for Hua Qingsi and her companions—having never refined Origin Power before, this could be a significant boost in their advancement to the Emperor Realm if they managed to gain something from the Shattered Star Sea.
Time passed slowly. The four of them were scattered nearby, each meditating without disturbing the others.
Half a day later, Yang Kai couldn't help but frown.
He discovered that the efficiency of refining and absorbing the Origin Power this way was far too low.
All four of them had been working hard for half a day, yet the Origin Power here showed no significant sign of being depleted. At this rate, fully refining all the Origin Power here would take no less than ten days to half a month.
Four people would need that long. If it were just one person refining, wouldn't it take one or two months? That was far too troublesome.
He quietly observed Hua Qingsi and the others and found that they were in the same situation.
Only Zhang Ruoxi seemed to be refining and absorbing somewhat faster—whether this was related to her bloodline, he couldn't say—but even then, the difference was negligible.
He wondered what would happen if he brought out the Avatar and had it use the Heaven Devouring Art to refine this. The Heaven Devouring Art's defining characteristic was that nothing in the world was beyond its ability to devour. The Origin Power here would certainly be no exception.
As his thoughts drifted, Yang Kai's eyes suddenly lit up.
The Avatar had the Heaven Devouring Art, but he himself also had another secret art—one specifically designed for refining the Origin Power of stars.
The Star Refinement Technique!
This was the secret art he had obtained back when the Emperor's Garden on the Dark Star had opened. Technically, it was Yang Yan's secret art. It was entirely thanks to the Star Refinement Technique that Yang Kai had been able to refine the Dark Star's Origin Power and become its Star Lord.