As for how Yang Kai had persuaded Gray Bone to cooperate with him, that was entirely a matter of his own ability and personal charm. Lord Xu Ling couldn't be bothered to look into it too deeply.
"The cultivation of us Open Heaven realm cultivators — isn't it all built upon the accumulation and refinement of countless long years? Refining Open Heaven Pills, cultivation resources of various grades — this has been the most orthodox path for Open Heaven realm warriors since ancient times. Though it takes a long time, the advantage is its stability."
"Those who want to take shortcuts are not without precedent. Refining the foundation of a Universe World for one's own use is one such method. However, this approach carries an enormous drawback: the foundation of the refined Universe World may not perfectly harmonize with one's own. And once rejection occurs, it can even cause one's own foundation to dissipate — a net loss. Every Universe World is unique, including the Inner Universe within us Open Heaven realm cultivators. How difficult would it be to find one that completely matches your own?"
Lord Xu Ling's voice drifted steadily into Yang Kai's ears.
Yang Kai nodded slightly. Back then, he had seen an Open Heaven realm cultivator attempt to refine the foundation of the Demon Realm to heal his injuries, only for Yang Kai to intervene. In the end, the refiner was slain, and the World Force that scattered upon his death ended up nourishing the Demon Realm instead.
"But just because shortcuts are difficult doesn't mean they don't exist!"
Yang Kai's expression shifted. "Senior, you mean...?"
Lord Xu Ling gave him a meaningful look. "Back then, you had lofty ambitions — you intended to break straight through to the Seventh Grade Open Heaven. But that touched a nerve with quite a few people, and in the end, in that Shattered Heaven, you were forced to settle for Fifth Grade. Think about it — how many years has it been? For a Fifth Grade to advance to Sixth Grade, how could that be accomplished in such a short time? I believe the intelligence I received is accurate. What you achieved in the Shattered Heaven was only Fifth Grade, not Sixth Grade."
Yang Kai remained silent. This was something he couldn't hide even if he wanted to — after all, when he had advanced, so many people had witnessed it. Qu Huashang had been present as well. It was hardly surprising that Lord Xu Ling knew.
"There is a rumor of a divine medicine in this world called the World Fruit. The World Fruit comes in upper, middle, and lower grades, corresponding to the Open Heaven realm. And a World Fruit can allow a warrior to advance one full grade with absolutely no hidden dangers!" Lord Xu Ling continued on his own. "Back then, you and little Qu Huashang went to the Grand Void Realm as well. Someone once auctioned off a lower-grade World Fruit in my Yin Yang Domain. That person had also been to the Grand Void Realm. According to intelligence gathered by our Yin Yang Heaven, that person's lower-grade World Fruit was obtained from the Grand Void Realm!"
"Therefore, your ability to advance from Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade in such a short time — it must be because you consumed a middle-grade World Fruit!"
"Senior's eyes are as keen as a hawk's!" Yang Kai admitted frankly. "My current Sixth Grade Open Heaven was indeed achieved by consuming a World Fruit."
"Good!" Lord Xu Ling smiled faintly. "If that's truly the case, then you and little Qu Huashang are a well-matched pair after all! I had been somewhat worried that your ultimate potential would fall short of hers, but it seems that was unnecessary concern."
Yang Kai's advancement to Fifth Grade meant his ceiling was Seventh Grade, but with a World Fruit boosting him, his ceiling rose to Eighth Grade — the same as Qu Huashang. And with aptitudes like Yang Kai and Qu Huashang, given enough time, they would both inevitably reach Eighth Grade.
"You certainly have been fortunate, to have obtained such a supreme treasure as a middle-grade World Fruit. No wonder you were willing to settle for Fifth Grade back in that Shattered Heaven." Lord Xu Ling nodded slightly, regarding Yang Kai with a measure of approval. "Consuming a World Fruit is the greatest shortcut known to this day!"
"Senior, you mean... there are other shortcuts?"
Lord Xu Ling smiled. "Naturally. The Three Thousand Worlds are vast and filled with endless mysteries. Even we upper-grade Open Heaven cultivators could spend our entire lives and never fully explore them. The reason you haven't heard is simply that your experience and perspective haven't been broad enough yet."
Yang Kai said solemnly, "Please enlighten me, Senior!"
Lord Xu Ling asked, "Have you ever heard of the River of Time?"
"The River of Time?" Yang Kai was stunned.
"It is a product of the creation of heaven and earth — the place where the mysteries of time are nurtured. Within the River of Time, the flow of time differs from the outside world. It could be ten times faster, a hundred times, even a thousand times. Do you know what that means?"
Yang Kai's expression shook. "You're telling me that cultivating within the River of Time, one year would equal ten years, a hundred years, even a thousand years on the outside?"
"Exactly so!" Lord Xu Ling's face took on a wistful look. "A single year outside, but you cultivate within for ten, a hundred, a thousand years. The foundation you accumulate would naturally be far deeper than anyone else's. And since this is normal accumulation, there are absolutely no hidden dangers. Back then... I once entered a River of Time. The gains were considerable!"
Yang Kai's face was filled with shock. To think such an aberrant thing as the River of Time existed in this world — if Lord Xu Ling hadn't told him himself, he would have scarcely been able to believe it.
But before long, he remembered the Time Emperor!
The Time Emperor had been a master of the temporal laws. The Time Divine Palace he left behind had once contained sealed temporal power. Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, those two little ones, had once entered seclusion within it and cultivated for several hundred years, while in the outside world only a few years had passed. By that logic, the Time Divine Palace was essentially a River of Time created by the Time Emperor.
Unfortunately, the temporal power sealed within it had long since been exhausted, and the flow of time inside the Time Divine Palace had returned to normal.
And thinking of it that way, the Time Emperor truly deserved to be called a genius of the ages. If not for the unexpected death caused by Mo Sheng, he would surely have had a place among the Three Thousand Worlds.
At this thought, Yang Kai's expression shifted slightly. "Senior, could it be that the opportunity you're referring to is the River of Time?"
Lord Xu Ling laughed heartily. "You wish! The River of Time — if anyone happened upon one, they would have entered it to cultivate long ago. Until all the temporal power within is consumed, there's no way to leave. So don't even think about the River of Time."
Yang Kai was taken aback. Only then did he realize that the River of Time was essentially a consumable resource — if someone truly discovered one, there was no way it would simply be left intact.