"The Sharp Metal Origin Essence inside that Golden Antelope Blessed Ground is basically a Fifth-Order material, but if you're lucky enough to find a Spear Essence within it, that would be a wonderful surprise."
"Spear Essence? What order?" Yang Kai didn't even ask what exactly a Spear Essence was—no need. He could guess readily enough that the so-called Spear Essence was the concentrated essence of the Sharp Metal Origin Essence, and its quality would be far higher than Fifth-Order.
"Seventh-Order!"
Yang Kai couldn't help letting out a low whistle. His understanding of the quality rankings for materials used to refine Yin, Yang, and Five Elements powers wasn't particularly systematic, and he had no idea what caliber of material the powerhouses beyond the Cosmos considered decent. But there was no denying that Seventh-Order was not a low rank at all—it was the kind of treasure people would tear each other apart over.
"Has anyone ever found one inside?" Yang Kai asked.
Zhang Ruoxi shook her head. "I don't know. Perhaps my ancestor did, but I haven't inherited those memories."
Yang Kai nodded slightly, then thought of another question. "So what serves as currency beyond the Cosmos?"
Different planes, different worlds—the circulating medium of exchange was never the same. In the Demon Realm, Demon Crystals were used; in the Star Boundary, Origin Crystals. They were all things born of heaven and earth, containing energy that cultivators could absorb to bolster their strength.
If his guess was correct, what circulated beyond the Cosmos should likewise be something that enhanced one's power.
"Open Heaven Pills!"
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. "Open Heaven Pills? From the name, it sounds like some kind of spirit pill."
Zhang Ruoxi smiled faintly. "They are indeed spirit pills, and ones of tremendous use to Open Heaven Realm cultivators. As I mentioned to you before, once someone advances into the Open Heaven Realm, their rank is essentially set—but there is a way to raise it. That way is through Open Heaven Pills. With long-term consumption, they can generally elevate one's rank by one or two levels, and a higher rank naturally means greater strength."
Yang Kai was puzzled. "If Open Heaven Pills are useful to Open Heaven Realm powerhouses, then they should be useless for someone like me, shouldn't they?"
"Of course they're useful," Zhang Ruoxi explained. "You've already condensed the Wood element of the Five Elements. Open Heaven Pills can help raise the quality of your Wood power—it just so happens that you personally don't need them for now. But on the whole, cultivators at your level tend to trade through barter."
Yang Kai's expression cleared. "Materials for refining Yin, Yang, and Five Elements powers?"
"Precisely!" Zhang Ruoxi nodded. "Those are exactly what cultivators at this level need. So if anyone gets the opportunity, they generally trade with one another to fill each other's needs."
"It sounds like I should try to find a recipe for Open Heaven Pills if I get the chance," Yang Kai mused. Alchemy was something he was well versed in—if he could get his hands on the formula, there was no reason he couldn't refine them himself. The catch was that the materials required would surely not be easy to find.
Zhang Ruoxi chuckled. "There's something you may not know. Open Heaven Pills come in two varieties—one that is born naturally from heaven and earth, and one that is refined by alchemists."
Yang Kai was taken aback. "If they're spirit pills, how can heaven and earth produce them naturally?"
Zhang Ruoxi shook her head slowly. "Heaven and earth have their own creative workings. In the vast cosmos, a cauldron called the Heaven-Cleansing Furnace occasionally appears. It isn't a physical object—merely a projection—but it can draw in the power of stars and the universe, refine it within the furnace, and over the course of years, Open Heaven Pills will form inside."
Yang Kai clicked his tongue in wonder. "What an extraordinary thing." He suddenly recalled that the Heavenly Dao had once granted him the art of alchemy. If the Heavenly Dao could bestow alchemic knowledge, why couldn't it birth spirit pills?
"Strictly speaking, it was precisely because of these naturally formed Open Heaven Pills that the powerhouses beyond the Cosmos gradually reverse-engineered the recipe for man-made ones."
"There must be some difference between the two?"
"You're right to say so. Though both are called Open Heaven Pills, they are quite different—and the biggest difference lies in their effects. Man-made Open Heaven Pills can raise one's rank by one or two levels with sustained use, but that's more or less the ceiling; consuming more won't do much. Naturally formed Open Heaven Pills, however, are different. They contain the most concentrated power of stars and the cosmos. Rumor has it that these pills can elevate an Open Heaven Realm powerhouse's strength all the way to the peak—Ninth Order!"
Yang Kai's heart blazed with heat upon hearing this, and he immediately began scanning his surroundings.
Zhang Ruoxi asked curiously, "What are you looking for?"
Yang Kai said, "Looking for that Heaven-Cleansing Furnace you mentioned. If we happened to run into one, wouldn't that be the find of a lifetime?" He had used the Tree of Timelessness to directly condense his Wood element, giving him a very high starting point, but finding materials on par with the Tree of Timelessness would be exceedingly difficult. Even if such treasures existed, without sufficient strength he wouldn't be able to compete for them.
So Yang Kai had already steeled himself—even after advancing into the Open Heaven Realm in the future, he probably wouldn't reach Ninth Order. Eighth Order would be a struggle; at best he'd manage Seventh, and Sixth or Fifth was entirely possible.
To raise his own rank and strength, these naturally born Open Heaven Pills would be indispensable.
Zhang Ruoxi laughed softly. "Something like that isn't so easily stumbled upon. And even if the Heaven-Cleansing Furnace truly appeared, it wouldn't be our turn. The Thirty-Six Heavenly Caverns and Seventy-Two Blessed Grounds—their people would come swarming the moment word got out. It would turn into a fierce battle among dragons and tigers for sure."
Yang Kai was unmoved, frowning as he said, "I think I just saw something."