Martial artists refined Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements, carving open heaven and earth within their own bodies to form a Small Universe. Only when their cultivation base was elevated could they advance to the Open Heaven Realm.
The entire process was extraordinarily perilous. No matter how thorough the preparation, the risk of perishing remained.
One need only look at the experiences of the Dingfeng City martial artists to see the truth of this.
Which of the martial artists who came from Dingfeng City had not languished for years at the peak of the Emperor Venerable Realm? Which of them lacked vast accumulations built over long ages? The resources they refined were undoubtedly of the highest grade they could withstand—none of them would have attempted to refine resources beyond their capability.
Yet casualties still occurred during advancement.
The first batch of over three hundred Dingfeng City martial artists had advanced without a single failure or death, thanks to the protection of the Heavenly Origin True Seal Pills. But in the two years since Yang Kai's departure, martial artists from Dingfeng City had been advancing in succession. Though Yang Kai had left behind some Heavenly Origin True Seal Pills before heading to the Shadowless Hollow Heaven, the supply was far from sufficient, and casualties had resulted.
That said, the casualty rate among Dingfeng City martial artists during their advancement to the Open Heaven Realm was considerably lower than the norm. Their accumulations had been deeper to begin with, constrained as their environment was.
Now, excluding the Open Heaven cultivators Yang Kai had just brought back, the Void Land already possessed over five hundred Open Heaven Realm martial artists! Including Mao Zhe and the others who had returned with Yang Kai, the number approached six hundred!
That was a staggering figure.
In terms of both quantity and quality of Open Heaven cultivators, the Void Land had already surpassed ninety-nine percent of second-rate powers. It could not yet compare to the Caves Heaven and Blessed Lands, of course, but the Void Land's rise had been relatively recent—what it lacked was the accumulation that only vast stretches of time could provide.
A short while later, Bian Yuqing finished her report, bowed, and sat down. Mo Mei rose and gave a brief overview of the Star Market's situation.
The Star Market was thriving. Because a single Heavenly Origin True Seal Pill was auctioned off at each monthly auction, forces from across the Thirty Thousand Worlds flocked to the Star Market.
Even Open Heaven cultivators from the Caves Heaven and Blessed Lands would occasionally appear at the auction house.
The more people came, the more bustling the atmosphere. A vibrant atmosphere attracted more resources, which in turn fueled the Star Market's growth—a virtuous cycle.
Virtually every shop in the Star Market, large and small, had been leased out, and business at each was booming. Even the cave dwellings had been snatched up by martial artists permanently stationed in the Star Market.
The revenue the Void Land drew from the Star Market each month was at least a hundred million Open Heaven Pills at a minimum, and sometimes more.
Mao Zhe and the others listened from the sidelines with mouths agape.
A hundred million Open Heaven Pills—and that was merely one month's income. This was indeed the scale and capability a large-scale Star Market could achieve. A single Star Market alone could supply the entire Void Land with a continuous stream of everything it needed.
After all, the purchasing power of a hundred million Open Heaven Pills was formidable. While Seventh-Order resources could not be bought, with a bit of luck, several sets of Sixth-Order resources were well within reach.
Accumulated over years and decades, just how terrifying would the accumulated wealth become?
This single Star Market could almost be called the Void Land's treasure chest.
With the Star Market thriving and martial artists coming and going in droves, there had been no issues at first. The Grand Marshal's Manor had been able to maintain overall control.
As the Void Land's Star Market, it was the Void Land's duty and responsibility to maintain daily order, protect the safety of merchants doing business there, collect taxes and rent, and ensure the market remained stable with no outbreaks of conflict or bloodshed. Even if incidents occurred, they had to be resolved immediately.
Only in this way could a sense of security be afforded to visiting martial artists, and it served as a demonstration of the Void Land's own depth.
But after two years of growth, the Grand Marshal's Manor was beginning to struggle.
There was no other reason than this: as the Star Market's popularity and scale expanded, the cultivation levels of the martial artists appearing within it grew ever higher. The person who felt this change most directly was Jin Yuan Lang, stationed at the Void Crossing.
From the moment the Void Land's Star Market began its development, Jin Yuan Lang had been stationed at the Void Crossing by Yang Kai's orders, inspecting all who came and went.
His Fifth-Order Open Heaven cultivation was sufficient to handle most situations, but occasionally Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators would pass through from outside. Against a Sixth-Order cultivator, his Fifth-Order cultivation left him under considerable pressure.
If two Sixth-Order cultivators got into a conflict within the Star Market and fought in earnest, the Void Land would be unable to cope with just Mo Mei alone.
Aside from the damage the Star Market would suffer, the impact on the Void Land's reputation would be enormous.
These were problems that demanded immediate solutions.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had now brought back a new batch of strong cultivators, several of whom were Sixth-Order.
Hua Yong and his wife had volunteered to join the Void Land back on the Twin Islands, and Yang Kai had even granted them the title of Elder. Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, and Zhou Ya were all Sixth-Order as well and could not be slighted. With a single order from Yang Kai, all three became members of the Elder Council.