After enduring the most difficult phase, Yang Kai gradually felt his abdomen no longer bloated as before. The Pure Yang power had been refined seventy to eighty percent, and the most notable change was the significant increase in the golden hue on his Dao Seal.
He once again took out the Primordial Yang Mystic Ginseng from the Heavenly Yin Jade Box and took several fierce bites.
The golden Pure Yang power within his body erupted once more, squeezing against his internal organs as it surged through his flesh and meridians to fill every part of him, causing his entire body to emit a faint golden glow.
The power of the Dao Seal activated once again, drawing the Pure Yang energy into it.
For a long while afterward, Yang Kai repeated this process over and over.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the Pure Yang power within the Dao Seal gradually reached saturation, and the Primordial Yang Mystic Ginseng he had spent two to three hundred million to obtain was nearly completely consumed.
When the last trace of the ginseng's medicinal essence dissolved within his abdomen and the Pure Yang power surged into the Dao Seal, Yang Kai suddenly sensed something extraordinary happening to himself.
A sudden realization struck him—his Yang Element had been completed! He was now only two steps away from the Open Heaven Realm!
And he had now reached the level of half-step Open Heaven.
Generally speaking, as long as a cultivator could refine five elemental forces, they would be considered half-step Open Heaven. This was not an actual realm, but it allowed one to wield power far greater than ordinary Emperor Realm cultivators.
Half-step Open Heaven was of great significance to other cultivators, for reaching this stage meant they could look forward to the true Open Heaven Realm, and their strength would undergo a dramatic leap.
But for Yang Kai, it was practically meaningless.
Even with only four refined elements, he could already hold his own against low-grade Open Heaven cultivators. Now that he had refined the seventh-grade Yang Element, he had to split his focus three ways—constantly driving the Reverse Yin-Yang Five Elements Mysterious Universe Heart Sutra to keep his Dao Seal stable—so his actual strength had not increased much.
And this was only a three-way split. Once he refined the Yin Element, he would need to divide his focus four ways, which would have an even greater impact.
The best approach would be to refine the Metal Element first. Only then could he set things right, freeing himself from the exhausting task of maintaining the Heart Sutra's circulation.
But high-grade resources were hard to come by. Who knew whether the next one he obtained would be Metal or Yin?
Calmly focusing his mind, Yang Kai examined himself. After confirming there were no hidden dangers, he finally let out a sigh of relief. Calculating the time, the process of refining the Primordial Yang Mystic Ginseng had taken roughly two months.
This was by no means a long time. Had it been any other cultivator, even if they succeeded in the end, it very likely would have taken a year or half a year—or even three to five years.
After all, refining Yin-Yang Five Elements power placed an enormous burden on one's Dao Seal. Rush the process, and one could very well trigger unnecessary complications.
Not a single cultivator refining Yin-Yang Five Elements power did so without extreme caution, terrified that their Dao Seal might not withstand the external pressure.
Only someone like Yang Kai, whose foundation was extraordinarily deep and who had consumed over a dozen drops of Dao Yi Divine Water to fortify his Dao Seal to its absolute limit, could afford to disregard such effects.
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the restrictions on the sealed chamber. Before long, the door swung open, and Yue He and the Landlady entered together. They must have been waiting outside the entire time; otherwise, they couldn't have come in so quickly.
They stopped before him. The Landlady gave him a look. "Done?"
Yang Kai nodded slightly.
The Landlady was somewhat surprised. "That was fast."
Yue He, on the other hand, was not the least bit surprised. When Yang Kai had refined the Earth Element in the Grand Desolate Realm, it had taken roughly the same amount of time.
"What about the things I asked for?" Yang Kai looked at Yue He.
"They're all in here." Yue He immediately handed over a space ring.
Yang Kai nodded and took it, sweeping his Divine Sense into the ring to examine its contents.
At the same time, the Landlady pressed a finger to his forehead, her own power surging silently as she probed the condition of his Dao Seal.
After a good while, confirming that Yang Kai truly had no issues, she withdrew her hand and regarded him with a grave expression. "Kid, the path you're walking is extremely dangerous. It could very well bring about your death—and even if it doesn't, the road is fraught with peril. You need to think this through carefully."
Yang Kai chuckled. "Landlady, you've said that more than once already. With the advantages I've been blessed with, if I don't at least try, I'll definitely regret it down the road. As for the obstacles and dangers... we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!"
He had initially refined the essence of the Tree of Immortality without even knowing what he was doing, giving himself an incredibly high starting point. Then he had obtained the Golden Crow True Fire, followed by the Dragon Pearl of an Earth-element dragon...
With such a deep foundation and formidable advantages, how could Yang Kai not strive to advance to high-grade Open Heaven? Water flows downward, and people aspire upward—an eternal truth.
The Landlady tilted her delicate head in a light nod and said no more.
Yang Kai then asked, "When does the Blood Demon Secret Realm open?"