"What grade is it?" Wei Que asked, looking toward Tao Rongfang.
Tao Rongfang retrieved the Solar True Fire from her spatial ring, studied it carefully, and said, "The same — fourth grade!"
Wei Que chuckled with delight. "Not bad at all."
In just over half a day, they had collected two pieces of fourth-grade fire-attribute materials, and they were both Solar True Fire — a truly bountiful harvest. If they could gather a few more, they could head to the Star Market and trade for materials of other attributes, then find a talented disciple among Dayue Prefecture's ranks. With that, it was entirely possible they could cultivate a fourth-grade Open Heaven cultivator.
If that day came, Dayue Prefecture's standing would rise along with it.
As though he could already see that bright future, Wei Que's bell-like eyes glimmered faintly with light. He spoke in a deep voice, "I think I've figured it out — there's nothing worth exploring on the surface of this Solar Star. The real treasures are all below. Junior Sister Tao, let's split the work. You take one group, I'll take the other. One stays above to provide support while the other searches below. How does that sound?"
Tao Rongfang would have gladly given him body and soul, so how could she possibly object? She nodded. "We'll do as Senior Brother says."
Once the plan was settled, Wei Que took charge without hesitation, dividing the dozen-plus Dayue Prefecture disciples into two groups — one following him, the other following Tao Rongfang.
Having tasted the rewards, the entire Dayue Prefecture contingent was brimming with motivation, and they immediately began a thorough, carpet-style search.
The magma below might hold dangers, so the two groups took turns descending to investigate. As Open Heaven Realm cultivators, Wei Que and Tao Rongfang naturally weren't bothered by the scorching heat of the magma. But the disciples below lacked sufficient strength, and each could only endure exploring the subterranean magma for a different length of time. So long as they judged their limits correctly, there would be no mortal peril.
Wei Que instructed everyone firmly to prioritize their own safety above all else. If anyone found something, they were to notify him and Tao Rongfang immediately. Naturally, all agreed.
However, over the next several days, Dayue Prefecture came up empty. Though they searched meticulously, they found no further trace of Solar True Fire. It had to be admitted — that first day had truly been a stroke of extraordinary luck.
Along the way, they encountered people from other factions and discovered that everyone seemed to have had the same idea: searching for hidden opportunities within the subterranean magma.
When they crossed paths, they left each other alone, coexisting peacefully.
Right now, all attention was focused on Solar True Fire and the potentially existent Solar True Gold. No one was willing to start a conflict with anyone else over nothing.
After a few more days, Dayue Prefecture finally struck again.
A mass of Solar True Fire, hidden within the magma, was uncovered. Tao Rongfang, leading a group of disciples from above, expended tremendous effort before finally managing to collect it.
Time trickled onward, and the unexplored territory shrank ever smaller. Though the Solar Star was incomprehensibly vast, the number of factions that had arrived was equally staggering. Everyone had come from different directions to explore the Star, and after several days of searching, most of the area had already been covered. The remaining unexplored surface was shrinking rapidly.
Wei Que was growing somewhat anxious. In his mind, if they could collect seven portions of Solar True Fire this time, only then would the trip be truly worthwhile. Seven portions would be enough for Dayue Prefecture to trade at the Star Market for sufficient materials, giving the prefecture a chance to produce a fourth-grade Open Heaven cultivator.
Right now they only had three — far from enough. Opportunities to casually collect fourth-grade Open Heaven materials were exceedingly rare. In all his years of cultivation, this was only the second time he had encountered such a chance.
On this particular day, half of Dayue Prefecture's disciples descended into the magma under Wei Que's lead. Yang Kai was among them.
Swimming through the magma was a peculiar experience. The viscous molten rock all around was terrifyingly hot, and everyone had to constantly channel their energy to protect their bodies. Moreover, due to the unusual environment, divine sense couldn't extend very far, limiting the range of their search.
Because of this, before reaching the Open Heaven Realm, one could only endure so long within the magma — half a shi-chen at most. Once that time was up, one had to hurry back to the surface to rest before sending someone else down.
That was how the Dayue Prefecture group had been working their shifts over the past several days.
Deep beneath the magma, Yang Kai moved at a leisurely pace, his divine sense sweeping in all directions, yet he detected nothing. In truth, he wasn't particularly interested in Solar True Fire. But since he'd been assigned to Wei Que's group, he had to play along with the crowd. Finding something would be a bonus; not finding anything was fine too.
Just as the time was nearly up and Yang Kai was preparing to head back to the surface, something stirred in his heart. He turned his head and gazed in a particular direction.
Beneath the magma, everything was a sea of blazing red — nothing was visible. But the divine sense he had extended clearly felt something.
Had he actually found one? Yang Kai found it mildly amusing. Since he had detected it, he couldn't let it go. Without hesitation, he surged toward that direction. Before he even arrived, he activated the Laws of Space, constraining that patch of reality, and simultaneously deployed the Six Harmonies Treasure Pouch, casting it down over the target.
For an ordinary Emperor Realm cultivator — even someone like Meng Hong — collecting Solar True Fire alone would be difficult, unless one had a suitable artifact on hand, like Du Rufeng's Heaven-Covering Net. But Dayue Prefecture's disciples clearly had no such luxury. That was why the Solar True Fire they had found previously was always herded upward, where the supporting group above could capture it.
But Yang Kai had the Six Harmonies Treasure Pouch, so there was no need for such measures. This treasure could forcibly restrain even Open Heaven Realm cultivators, let alone a mere wisp of Solar True Fire. Even though Yang Kai's current strength was insufficient to fully unleash its power, that didn't negate the artifact's intrinsic might.
He had expected to collect the Solar True Fire with ease, but the moment the Six Harmonies Treasure Pouch deployed, Yang Kai suddenly felt a tremendous force surge from the other side. His Laws of Space were actually shaken free. The Solar True Fire hidden within the magma erupted in a blinding radiance and dove deeper underground.
"Fifth grade!" Yang Kai's brow shot upward. While the Solar True Fire had been sitting quietly in the magma, he hadn't noticed anything unusual. But the instant it moved, he immediately sensed the difference.
This mass of Solar True Fire was distinctly different from the three that Dayue Prefecture had already collected. Its fire attribute was far more concentrated and pure — unmistakably beyond the fourth grade.