The fact that Little Red and Little Black could stay by Bixi's side was truly their good fortune. Bixi had lived for untold years and was incredibly well-versed in the world—simply imparting a few tidbits of knowledge to them was enough to benefit them for the rest of their lives.
Yang Kai also wanted to improve his relationship with Bixi, so he was more than happy to do the favor.
He returned to his own palace and resumed his secluded recuperation.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. In the Earth Spirit Land's grand council hall, Yang Kai sat in the seat of honor. To his left and right below were Void Land's Left and Right Protectors, Yue He and Mo Mei. Further down, every member of the Elder Council was present in full attendance.
Yue He and Mo Mei were Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators, and the many members of the Elder Council—with the exception of Chen Tianfei at the Fourth-Order—were all Fifth-Order. Void Land's current roster was truly brimming with talent, and such a foundation was rare even across the entirety of the Three Thousand Worlds.
And how many years had it been since Void Land's founding? How many generations had those top-tier second-rate powers accumulated? Certainly, they had benefited enormously from the migration of Dingfeng City's warriors, but that was also a testament to Yang Kai's own ability.
This was the first time Void Land's upper echelon had gathered for a formal council, and the topic was naturally the future of Void Land.
Before that, however, everyone took the opportunity to discuss the gains and losses of the recent battle. Though Void Land had achieved a resounding victory, it had not been without its missteps. The rise of any power was forged in blood and fire, and for Void Land, such a battle served as nourishment and a catalyst for growth—wholly beneficial, nothing detrimental.
Everyone shared their views, and the atmosphere was quite lively.
Once the discussion had settled somewhat, Yang Kai spoke: "Though our Void Land achieved a great victory in this battle, none of you should let your guard down. Don't assume that the forces of the Three Thousand Worlds are easy prey. This time, we merely capitalized on the enemy's lack of intelligence and the power of the Great Formation to achieve such remarkable results. Had Kong Feng known of Void Land's true strength beforehand and prepared accordingly, the outcome of this battle would have been far harder to predict. In the future, you must all cultivate diligently. Only by strengthening your own power can you truly secure a solid foundation."
The crowd responded with a thunderous affirmation. Even without Yang Kai spelling it out, they had all recognized this truth. Though Void Land now boasted three to four hundred Open Heaven realm cultivators, the vast majority had only recently advanced. Their foundations were shallow and their footing unstable, and in one-on-one clashes against cultivators of the same rank, they were clearly at a disadvantage. Yue He and Mo Mei understood this better than anyone.
Mo Mei, in particular, had been nearly overwhelmed into a purely defensive stance when she faced off against Luan Baifeng.
However, if everyone was going to cultivate, they would inevitably need vast quantities of resources—especially Open Heaven Pills and cultivation materials of various grades, all in enormous demand.
Had it not been for the previous battle, Void Land's finances would have been stretched thin once again.
Fortunately, with over ten thousand enemies slain, the spoils of war had been substantial—more than enough to sustain Void Land's needs for the time being.
Second Steward Bian Yuqing immediately stepped forward and delivered a brief report on the spoils previously seized. Yang Kai nodded slightly and instructed: "The matter of cultivation resources will require the Second Steward's dedicated attention. You must ensure that every individual in the Sect has their cultivation needs met."
Bian Yuqing replied respectfully: "Understood!"
Void Land had also begun implementing the contribution point system. All warriors who had participated in the previous battle had received a large number of contribution points, more than sufficient to exchange for the resources they needed. As for how to balance it all internally, that was not something Yang Kai needed to worry about—Bian Yuqing and the Elder Council would work out the proper framework.
Yang Kai surveyed those below him, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of his chair, and spoke: "However, simply sitting idle and consuming our reserves is no long-term solution. Unlike those powers that have existed for generations with a wide variety of revenue streams, our Void Land doesn't have such luxuries. The spoils from this battle may be considerable, but they will eventually be exhausted. If we want to endure for the long haul, we must find new sources of income."
Yun Xinghua immediately cupped his fists and said: "My Lord, I volunteer to return to the Star Market. I will manage it thoroughly on your behalf!"
Yang Kai replied: "The Star Market cannot be abandoned—it is currently our greatest source of revenue and will be our economic lifeline going forward. But relying solely on the Star Market's current scale to sustain Void Land will likely prove insufficient."
Previously, when Void Land had far fewer Open Heaven cultivators, the Star Market's income had been enough to keep things running, with even some surplus. But now, with over three hundred additional Open Heaven cultivators, the daily consumption of Open Heaven Pills alone was an enormous figure. The Star Market's income was simply not enough to keep up.
Yang Kai looked down at the assembly and asked: "Does anyone have any good suggestions?"
The warriors from Dingfeng City exchanged helpless glances, unsure of what to say. After all, they had only arrived in the Outside not long ago and understood very little of how things worked out here. With Void Land's long-term development at stake, what sound advice could they possibly offer?
Yun Xinghua pondered briefly, then cupped his fists and said: "My Lord, perhaps we could look for opportunities within the Void Domain—search for resources there."
Yang Kai turned to look at him: "Tell me more."
Yun Xinghua explained: "Every Great Domain has numerous powers and worlds. The areas surrounding those established powers and worlds have likely already been thoroughly exploited—if there were resources to be found, someone would have claimed them long ago. But that doesn't mean the entire Great Domain has no value in searching. There may still be unknown places concealing undiscovered resources. Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, in particular—over three thousand years ago, in our Jinghong Domain, Jinghong Pavilion stumbled upon a Blessed Land. It was precisely the development of that Blessed Land that allowed Jinghong Pavilion to rise to become the dominant power of the Jinghong Domain!"