Of the seven elemental attributes found in Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, Yin and Yang had always been far rarer and more precious than the other five — Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Yang Kai had once spent a vast fortune in Open Heaven Pills purchasing all manner of resources, so he knew this from experience.
Yue He was now a member of Void Land. It was one thing for her to lack a Sixth-Grade Yin-Attribute resource — after all, there were quite a few people in Void Land who needed Sixth-Grade resources right now, and Sixth-Grade materials were not easy to come by. Whether it was the resources Yang Kai had obtained in his earlier days or the Sixth-Grade materials that had recently appeared in the Star Market, all of them had been used to fuel the Cultivation needs of Void Land's people. There was nothing left over.
As for Lao Bai and Qu Huachang, there was even less to say. The former had always followed the proprietress, and whenever there was anything good, she held onto it, only handing it over when he needed it. The latter was a Core Disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, but she had only recently advanced to the Sixth Grade and had no immediate use for Sixth-Grade resources to further her Cultivation.
Yang Kai had never expected that this excursion would end with him developing the intention to advance to the Open Heaven Realm. Otherwise, he would not have come completely unprepared. His mind was made up now — everything was in place except for the crucial element, yet he found himself a cook with no rice.
The situation was rather embarrassing.
He stared at Zhu Jiuyin: "You spent all those years in the Grand Void Heaven hoarding wealth. How is it you don't have a single piece of Sixth-Grade Yin-Attribute material?"
Zhu Jiuyin rolled her eyes. "This Empress never needed those miscellaneous trinkets for Cultivation — so what use would I have for them? Besides, even in the Grand Void Heaven, Yin and Yang materials are exceedingly rare."
Yang Kai's head throbbed. What was he supposed to do?
On the other side, Ti Zheng and the others had already relaxed, expecting to simply wait for Yang Kai to advance to Open Heaven and then shed the burden on their shoulders. Who could have predicted this turn of events? They were momentarily at a loss for words.
Yang Kai advancing to Open Heaven right here, right now — that was undoubtedly something they wanted to see. It meant this future threat could be eliminated. Though the outcome was not as clean as their original plan to simply slay Yang Kai here and end all trouble, it was still an acceptable result. They would have something to report to the Sects behind them.
But if Yang Kai could not advance because of a single Yin-Attribute resource, that put them in a difficult position as well.
They could not kill everyone to silence witnesses — they simply did not dare lay a hand on a member of the Dragon Clan, lest they face the Dragon Clan's apocalyptic fury in the future. Yet letting Yang Kai walk away freely was equally unbearable.
They were still deliberating when they suddenly saw Yang Kai turn his head and look their way.
Ti Zheng's eye twitched. "What are you looking at me for?"
Yang Kai snorted coldly. "You want me to achieve Open Heaven here — I can oblige. But you should at least show some sincerity, shouldn't you?"
"Sincerity? What sincerity?" Ti Zheng frowned deeply.
"As if you don't know what I need. Why pretend otherwise?"
Ti Zheng gave him an exasperated look, fell silent for a moment, then moved his lips to send a sound transmission to the three others beside him. He was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator, but he did not possess a Sixth-Grade Yin-Attribute resource either. He could only ask whether the other three had such a thing.
If handing over a single Sixth-Grade Yin-Attribute resource could resolve the current predicament, it was an acceptable price. So despite the irritation, Ti Zheng held his tongue.
After making inquiries, however, none of them had Sixth-Grade Yin-Attribute materials.
Like Zhu Jiuyin, they each had some Sixth-Grade resources — just nothing of the Yin and Yang attributes. This was primarily because Yin and Yang materials were too scarce. Whenever any were acquired, they were immediately sent to their respective Sects to meet the Cultivation demands of the disciples, or refined for personal use. The Grand Cavern Heavens and Paradises, being far larger and more established than Void Land, had an even greater need for these rare resources.
Ti Zheng glanced up at Yang Kai and said, "None of us have Sixth-Grade Yin-Attribute materials."
Yang Kai's face darkened. "Four Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivators with deep coffers, and you're telling me not one of you has Sixth-Grade Yin-Attribute resources? Do I look like a three-year-old you can just hoodwink?"
Ti Zheng snapped, "I said we don't have it. Believe it or not."
Yang Kai let out a string of cold laughs.
Ti Zheng's expression was thunderous. This brat had failed to prepare properly for his own advancement to Open Heaven, and now he was blaming others — what kind of twisted logic was that? But on second thought, the boy had always aimed for the Seventh Grade and had poured all his efforts into finding superior Yang-Attribute materials. Even if a Sixth-Grade Yin-Attribute resource had been placed right in front of him in the past, he probably would not have spared it a glance. Being cornered into a sudden, last-minute decision to advance — well, there was no way he could have prepared in advance.
Ti Zheng cleared his throat. "What about Fifth-Grade? This Monarch happens to have an exceptional Fifth-Grade Heavenly Yin Sand in his possession. It is exceedingly rare — the finest among all Fifth-Grade resources. If you want it, this Monarch can give it to you!"
Yang Kai erupted in fury. "Ti Zheng! A warrior may be killed but never humiliated! I am willing to advance to the Sixth Grade here only because your lot forced my hand. The Sixth Grade is my absolute minimum, and now you want me to settle for the Fifth? What exactly are you after? No matter how excellent that Heavenly Yin Sand may be, it is still only Fifth-Grade — can it help me achieve the Sixth? If not, then let us resume our battle right here and settle this once and for all!"
Ti Zheng was rendered speechless, and even he felt his own suggestion was somewhat unrealistic. Yang Kai's foundation was extraordinarily deep — he was originally a candidate ripe for directly advancing to the superior grade. Choosing to settle for the Sixth Grade was already a concession born of necessity. Pressing him to lower his requirements further to the Fifth was genuinely over the line. Push him too hard and this brat might truly snap like a cornered dog.
If the fighting truly resumed, could they really go all out against Yang Kai like before? The ones who would suffer were still themselves.
After a moment's thought, Ti Zheng said, "How about this — you wait here for a while. This Monarch will send an immediate transmission and have someone deliver a piece of Sixth-Grade Yin-Attribute material."
The frustration was gnawing at him. This expedition was supposed to end with Yang Kai's death, root and stem severed. Yet here they were, in this absurd situation where it felt as though he was practically begging Yang Kai to hurry up and advance to Open Heaven — and on top of that, he had to go out of his way to procure Sixth-Grade Yin-Attribute materials for him. What kind of mess was this?
In all his years of living, Ti Zheng had never felt as stifled as he did today.