The refinement took three full months.
When Yang Kai opened his eyes, a hint of helplessness lingered between his brows.
The refinement of the Golden Armor Heavenly Book had progressed reasonably well. He had now inscribed his own Spiritual Brand upon this Emperor Treasure and could activate several of its techniques. While he couldn't wield it as effortlessly as Tan Junhao had, at least he had gained some additional means to use against his enemies.
What left him feeling helpless was his own cultivation.
He was clearly already at the peak of the First Stage Emperor Realm. He could feel that one foot had already crossed the threshold of the Second Stage — only a thin membrane remained between him and the breakthrough — yet he simply couldn't push through it to see what lay beyond.
He had consumed several million High-Grade Source Crystals, and while his Emperor Essence had grown denser and more refined, his cultivation remained stubbornly stuck where it was.
He wasn't anxious about it. Rushing was the one thing most forbidden in the path of cultivation.
He was still young, with plenty of time ahead of him. Compared to those Emperor Realm cultivators who routinely lived for hundreds or even thousands of years, he possessed an advantage that others could hardly hope to match.
Youth was capital, after all. There was still a long road ahead — what was there to rush for?
And so he set cultivation aside for the time being and turned his attention to managing Lingxiao Palace. He was, after all, its Palace Master now. Though there weren't many disciples, there were still several hundred people residing here under his roof. As the host, it was only right to play the part of a good host — to make proper arrangements for them, to make them feel at home, and ideally, to make them want to stay…
That was what he thought, at least. But when it came to actually putting it into practice, he found he had no idea where to start.
Back when he had been on the Dark Star and founded Lingxiao Sect, he had taken the same hands-off approach, handing everything over to Ye Xiyun. He had grown so accustomed to being the idle shopkeeper that he realized this whole "doing things yourself" business simply wasn't suited to him.
In the end, he decided to pay a visit to the Thousand Leaves Sect's quarters. Perhaps he could pick up some pointers from Ye Hen.
The entire Thousand Leaves Sect now resided on a main peak blessed with rather impressive spiritual energy. Lingxiao Palace had over a dozen such peaks. No one had known what this particular peak was called before, so it had simply been named Thousand Leaves Peak — just a name, nothing more. No one cared about such things.
When he arrived, he found everything running in perfect order. Five hundred disciples were cultivating, sparring, and crafting puppets — not a single one was idle.
As the Eldest Senior Brother, Du Xian had set up a teaching platform on the main peak's central square and was lecturing on the essentials and subtleties of the puppet arts. The crowd of lower-cultivation Thousand Leaves Sect disciples listened below, utterly captivated. They nodded along in admiration, their eyes brimming with reverence.
Yang Kai listened for a while but understood virtually nothing — it was all cloud and fog to him. He had no idea what Du Xian was talking about.
Not understanding didn't matter. Among these people, quite a few might well become Lingxiao disciples someday. Hmm, that nodding little fatty looked promising — clearly bright and sharp, likely already possessing his own insights into the puppet arts.
Once he matured a bit more, they could entice him with benefits, win him over with sincerity. What chance would he have of refusing? And once he became a Lingxiao disciple, Ye Hen probably wouldn't have anything to say about it.
The lecturing suddenly stopped as Du Xian called out cheerfully: "Brother Yang!"
He had spotted him. Yang Kai hadn't bothered to hide his presence, and Du Xian certainly didn't think he was trying to secretly learn the Thousand Leaves Sect's puppet techniques. If Yang Kai had wanted to do that, he could have simply kept the Ancestor Secret Texts for himself the first time the Emperor Heaven Valley had been opened.
Yang Kai smiled and nodded. "Just looking around — carry on."
Yet all the disciples had turned around. They rose in unison and bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Lord Yang!"
They were able to cultivate here entirely thanks to Yang Kai's goodwill, and they knew he was the master of this place. As guests under someone else's roof, how could they not show him respect?
"Please, sit, sit!" Yang Kai waved his hand, feeling rather embarrassed. His casual stroll through the area had disrupted their practice — that was practically a sin.
But since he was already here, he couldn't very well leave without saying something. He cleared his throat lightly. "Has everyone been settling in comfortably?"
Du Xian smiled. "This place is blessed with outstanding spiritual energy and a rich, abundant flow of qi — how could anyone feel uncomfortable here? The disciples couldn't be more satisfied."
The assembled disciples all nodded vigorously, bright smiles spreading across their faces. Compared to the old Thousand Leaves Sect, this place was like heaven versus earth. The cultivation efficiency here was incomparably higher.
"I'm glad to hear that," Yang Kai said with a warm smile. "Don't be too formal — just treat this place as your own home."
Treating it as their own home would keep them from wanting to leave…
"If any of you need anything, go find Hua Qingsi. Sister Hua is now Lingxiao Palace's chief steward — she oversees everything."
"Thank you, Brother Yang!" Du Xian said gratefully. "We'll inevitably have to trouble Steward Hua from time to time."
Yang Kai smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
The disciples were all thrilled. They could hardly believe how approachable Yang Kai was — this was an Emperor Realm cultivator, a Palace Master no less, yet he carried not a shred of arrogance. He was on familiar, brotherly terms with their own Eldest Senior Brother.
Their gazes toward him grew ever more reverent. This was the bearing and magnanimity befitting a true Emperor Realm powerhouse. They had heard before that Emperor Realm cultivators all looked down their noses at everyone, that they breathed through their nostrils when they spoke, wished their eyes were on their foreheads, and treated cultivators below the Emperor Realm like ants whose lives could be taken at will… This Lord Yang was so far above them that those people weren't even fit to carry his shoes.