While Yang Kai's thoughts drifted, he listened as Lu Jing spoke with great enthusiasm. "Zhuozhao and Youying are naturally opposed to one another, locked in endless conflict. The Yin and Yang energies saturate the void wherever they go, and it's said that wherever they pass, resources bearing Yin-Yang attributes condense and remain behind — of extraordinarily high quality!"
"Is that confirmed?" Yang Kai's brow furrowed. It wasn't that he didn't believe Lu Jing, but if even the proprietress wasn't certain about such things, how could Lu Jing possibly know?
Sure enough, Lu Jing gave an awkward laugh. "I heard it from someone else — it might just be speculation, after all. No one has actually witnessed it firsthand."
Yang Kai thought that talking about uncertain matters was pointless, but Lu Jing had clearly just been pointing him in a direction. As for what to actually do about it, that was up to Yang Kai to figure out.
Before long, Bian Yuqing arrived with a group of people. Yang Kai sent Lu Jing on his way — the affairs of the Star Market didn't require his attention, as Mo Mei was more than capable of handling them.
In the short term, Lu Jing establishing a new trading house within the Star Market wouldn't be of much use to the Void Land. But looking at the bigger picture, it could serve as a bridge to exchange goods and resources through the Source Gathering Alliance that Lu Jing was connected to. Once the conflict here was settled and the Star Market flourished once more, the arrangement would benefit both sides tremendously.
After seeing to Lu Jing's affairs, Yang Kai set off without delay for the Water Spirit State.
A significant portion of the people who had come from the Star Boundary had been settled in the Water Spirit State, including the Dragon Race. Within the Water Spirit State was a vast lake, and at its center, a palace hovered like a small island.
Yang Kai appeared before the palace and looked up, where four luminous characters read: Palace of Time.
A white figure burst out from within, circling Yang Kai like an excited puppy. "Godfather! What brings you here?"
Immediately after, an elegant figure glided out of the Palace of Time, standing gracefully as she regarded Yang Kai with a soft smile, bowing politely. "Big Brother has come."
Two more figures rushed out from the Palace of Time — a beautiful woman and a fierce-looking, half-aged man with a menacing aura. They were Liu Yan and Qiongqi.
"Master!" Liu Yan called out softly.
"Mm!" Yang Kai responded. With a casual flick of his palm, the still-spinning Yang Xiao froze mid-air and was instantly rooted in place.
Yang Kai ruffled Yang Xiao's hair, tangling his white locks into a mess, and called out, "Let's talk inside." He casually grabbed Yang Xiao by the scruff of the neck and carried him in.
Yang Xiao's legs were trembling slightly as he cast a desperate glance toward Yang Xue, who stuck her tongue out at him. As a member of the newer generation of the Dragon Race, Yang Xiao feared nothing and no one — even Grand Elder Zhu Yan and Second Elder Fu Chun couldn't do much with him. The two great elders of the Dragon Race had come upon a son in their later years and spoiled him beyond measure, so how could they ever discipline him?
The only person he feared was Yang Kai.
Since coming to this outer expanse, Yang Kai had been busy day after day with little leisure, and the two of them rarely had the chance to meet.
Yang Xiao had no idea what his godfather had come for this time. He wracked his brain and couldn't think of anything he'd done wrong recently — at most, he'd pulled a single beard from old man Bixi's face while the elder was expounding on the Dao...
Surely the old man hadn't tattled on him? Yang Xiao's heart pounded with dread.
"Godfather, have some tea!" Once inside the Palace of Time, Yang Xiao was remarkably attentive, personally serving tea.
Yang Kai glanced at him, sat upright in a commanding posture while the others stood below, accepted the tea and took a sip, then assumed the authoritative air befitting a godfather and asked calmly, "How has your cultivation been lately?"
Yang Xiao hurried to answer, "I've been spending a lot of time recently at Old Elder Bixi's side, listening to his teachings on the way of bloodline refinement. I feel I've benefited immensely."
Yang Kai nodded and set down his teacup. "Then tell me about the way of bloodline refinement!"
Yang Xiao blinked in surprise, then launched into a rapid-fire explanation, his words tumbling out one after another.
Yang Kai listened for a while, then nodded. "Not bad. Old Elder Bixi is one of the most ancient divine beasts, and he himself carries the Dragon Bloodline. His experience is immensely beneficial to the Dragon Race's cultivation. Go pay your respects to the old elder more often when you have the time. Until we find the Dragon Altar, the future of the Dragon Race rests with Old Elder Bixi."
"Yes, Godfather, you're absolutely right. The old elder is deeply esteemed, and Father and Mother often tell me to go attend to him."
"The next time I hear you've been causing trouble at the old elder's place, I'm sending you back to the Star Boundary!"
Yang Xiao's eye twitched, and he became perfectly meek. "I wouldn't dare again!"
"How about you, Xue'er? How has your cultivation progressed?" Yang Kai looked up at his only blood sister. If circumstances allowed, he would have preferred to guide Yang Xue's cultivation personally, but he had been dashing about in every direction these past years, mired in one matter after another, with no time to spare.
Yang Xue smiled gently and said softly, "I recently finished condensing the Wood Element."
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "Which element did you start with?"
"The Water Element!"
"Water gives rise to Wood... Since coming here from the Star Boundary, you've condensed your Dao Seal and refined both Water and Wood — that's not slow progress at all. Let me see." Yang Xue had only been cultivating for a relatively short time. Although her aptitude was exceptional, her cultivation progress could not yet compare to the many Great Emperors and pseudo-Emperors, and she couldn't even match Yang Kai's various wives.