On that tower ship, the elderly man surnamed Qi turned to the young man who had been standing beside him the whole time and said, "Han Jue, our Shanhai Pavilion has emptied its entire treasury to exchange for a set of Yin-Yang Five Elements resources. In the future, you must cultivate diligently — only then will you live up to the expectations of us old folk."
Shanhai Pavilion had once been called Shanhai Province. After producing two Fourth-Order Open Heaven masters, they had changed their name to Shanhai Pavilion, barely qualifying as a second-rate power. But even so, they were at the very bottom of the second-rate tier. A place like Qiqiao Ground, for instance, had once had a Fifth-Order Open Heaven presiding over it, and all of its Ground Guardians were Fourth-Order — making them far superior to Shanhai Pavilion by more than a few levels.
But that was simply the rule of the Three Thousand Worlds. Any force with a Mid-Order Open Heaven master could be classified as second-rate; any with a Superior Open Heaven as first-rate; and those with only an Inferior Open Heaven, third.
A force like Shanhai Pavilion did not boast deep coffers, and a complete set of Fifth-Order Yin-Yang Five Elements resources was worth no less than ten million Open Heaven Pills.
Under normal circumstances, they could never have afforded it, nor did they have the channels to acquire Fifth-Order resources.
But when news broke that Fifth-Order resources were being sold at the Void Star Market, Shanhai Pavilion could not help but take notice.
The reason was simple — this time, Shanhai Pavilion had produced a disciple of exceptional talent, the young man called Han Jue. His aptitude was astonishing, his potential superb, arguably the most outstanding disciple Shanhai Pavilion had ever produced.
Originally, Shanhai Pavilion's ambitions had not been so grand. Even after realizing that Han Jue's Dao Seal was sufficient to refine Fifth-Order resources, they had not harbored great hopes, content simply with training him into a Fourth-Order Open Heaven.
With Han Jue's talent, advancing to the Fourth-Order was a certainty. It would be a waste of his potential, but there was nothing to be done — Shanhai Pavilion had neither the wealth nor the connections. Where would they find Fifth-Order resources for him?
Then, just at that moment, news arrived at Shanhai Pavilion that the Void Star Market had Fifth-Order resources available for exchange.
Elder Qi was overjoyed. He immediately sought out the Shanhai Pavilion Master, explained the situation, and urged the Master to throw the full weight of the Pavilion behind Han Jue's advancement to the Fifth-Order!
Because as long as Han Jue could advance to the Fifth-Order, the entire Shanhai Pavilion would rise with him, and they would be able to establish themselves firmly within the second-rate tier once and for all.
The Shanhai Pavilion Master was well aware of this. In the past, their hopes had been limited — not only because of their lack of funds, but more importantly because they had no channels to obtain Fifth-Order resources. Five-Element resources were one thing; with enough Open Heaven Pills, most mid-sized and large star markets could supply them. But Yin- and Yang-attribute resources were often impossible to buy at any price.
Since ancient times, Yin- and Yang-attribute materials had been far rarer and far more expensive than their Five-Element counterparts.
Now, the Void Star Market had a complete set of Fifth-Order Yin-Yang Five Elements resources, available in exchange for sufficient materials or Open Heaven Pills. It was, without question, a ray of dawn breaking through the darkness for Shanhai Pavilion.
The Shanhai Pavilion Master did not hesitate for long and quickly decided to throw his full support behind Elder Qi's plan. Thus this journey came to pass — they had spent an entire month crossing several great domains to reach their destination.
And aboard that tower ship was practically the entire fortune of Shanhai Pavilion. To successfully exchange for those Fifth-Order resources, the Pavilion had essentially sold off everything they owned, committing the full strength of the entire Sect.
With all of that on the line, Elder Qi's expectations for Han Jue were entirely understandable.
Han Jue clearly grasped this as well. He cupped his fists solemnly and said, "Master, rest assured — your disciple will cultivate with all his might and advance to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven as soon as possible. I will not dare show the slightest slack!"
Elder Qi stroked his beard with a gratified smile, deeply pleased. "Your talent is nothing I worry about. As long as your mental cultivation keeps pace, advancing to the Fifth-Order in the future will not be without its perils, but they should not be insurmountable."
Han Jue replied respectfully, "I heed Master's teachings!"
At that moment, the dignified woman at their side spoke up. "Senior Brother Qi, someone is approaching from ahead."
Elder Qi narrowed his eyes to look. Sure enough, a tower ship was rapidly closing in on them from the front, moving at extraordinary speed. And from its trajectory, it was heading straight toward them.
Elder Qi's expression shifted slightly. "They don't come in peace — everyone, stay alert."
The words had barely left his mouth when the other tower ship came to a halt directly in front of them, blocking their path. On the deck, more than a dozen figures stood tall, gazing over at them with cold eyes.
Elder Qi and the two Third-Order Open Heaven cultivators from Shanhai Pavilion all tensed, because every single person on the opposing ship was an Open Heaven realm cultivator! Their leader, while only a Fourth-Order like Elder Qi, had the advantage of overwhelming numbers.
Despite sensing their ill intentions, Elder Qi still cupped his fists and said, "This old man is Qi Changying of Shanhai Pavilion. May I ask why you have blocked our path?"
"Shanhai Pavilion?" The leading Fourth-Order Open Heaven sneered. "Never heard of it."
Elder Qi's expression darkened. Before he could say anything further, the man waved his hand and barked, "Kill them all — leave no one alive!"
The Shanhai Pavilion cultivators were stricken with shock. They had never imagined that in the midst of the void, they would run into highway robbers — who intended to leave no survivors!