"Hall Master!" Hua Qingsi stepped forward and dipped into a graceful bow.
Yang Kai nodded. "You've been briefed on the situation?"
Hua Qingsi nodded back. "The Dharma Body has already informed me. Whatever coordination Ling Xiao Palace needs to provide, please give your instructions!"
Yang Kai shook his head. "This battle will involve only Open Heaven Realm cultivators. The Star Boundary can't help here — just take care of yourselves."
Hua Qingsi's expression turned solemn. "Understood. But please do be careful, Hall Master."
"Mm, let me see your Dao Seal!" Yang Kai extended a hand toward her and pressed a fingertip against her forehead. Hua Qingsi promptly relaxed her body and mind, allowing Yang Kai to inspect it.
After a moment, Yang Kai withdrew his hand and offered Hua Qingsi a small smile. "Not bad — you'll be able to advance to Fifth Order Open Heaven in the future!"
Although he had already formed a tentative guess after inspecting his parents' Dao Seals, it was only after examining Hua Qingsi's that the suspicion was truly confirmed.
Hua Qingsi's aptitude was unquestionably superior to his parents'. His parents' Dao Seals had been sufficient to support the refinement of Fourth Order or even Fifth Order materials, so there was no reason Hua Qingsi couldn't manage the same.
And sure enough, her Dao Seal was even more stable and resilient than his parents' — in other words, the risk of advancing to Fifth Order would be even lower.
"Is there anyone else in the Star Boundary who has condensed a Dao Seal?" Yang Kai asked.
Hua Qingsi shook her head. "Currently it's only myself, the Master and Mistress, and Hall Master Lan Xun — just four of us in total."
When Yang Kai had led people out of the Star Boundary years ago, he had essentially swept up all the Emperor Realm cultivators, and those who remained hadn't been particularly strong. Over the years, thanks to the World Tree's nourishment and the Star Boundary's recovery, the martial artists there had been climbing steadily in cultivation, but progress always took time. Star Boundary cultivators needed to raise their cultivation to the peak of the Emperor Realm before they could condense their own Dao Seals.
As for Lan Xun's situation, Yang Kai hadn't had the chance to examine it closely at the time, but he suspected it was no worse than Hua Qingsi's — after all, her aptitude had always been at the very top.
"As for this matter…" Yang Kai had been about to say it should be kept secret for now, but remembering that the Heavenly Sword Alliance's enemies were on their way, and that if the alliance couldn't be held off, nothing would survive the fallout — the Star Boundary itself might not even be preserved — he quickly amended his words. "We'll discuss it when I return."
Hua Qingsi acknowledged the order.
Yang Kai offered a few more words of instruction to the Dharma Body before producing a Void Pearl and making a brief attempt.
As expected, he couldn't return directly to the Domain Gate. The Void Pearl could lock onto spatial coordinates and transport a person from one location to another instantly, covering far greater distances than a simple spatial shift, but it had its limits.
The Domain Gate was a hundred million li or more from the Star Boundary's location — well beyond that limit.
His earlier ability to teleport instantly from the Domain Gate back to the Star Boundary had been thanks to his bond with the Star Boundary. It was as though the Star Boundary's own power had pulled him from this end. That was no longer possible; there was nothing on the Domain Gate's side for him to draw upon.
But that suited him just fine. Although the Heavenly Sword Alliance was unlikely to reach the Grand Domain where the Star Boundary resided before he did, it was always wise to prepare for the worst.
This return trip to the Domain Gate would serve as an opportunity to scout the route along the way.
His figure flickered, and he departed Ling Xiao Palace in an instant, arriving in the depths of the void. He set off toward the Domain Gate, and at regular intervals he placed a Void Pearl into the void as an emergency measure.
Along the way, everything was calm. He spotted no trace of Heavenly Sword Alliance cultivators, and the tension he'd been carrying gradually eased.
After leaving more than a dozen Void Pearls scattered along the route, Yang Kai finally returned to the vicinity of the Domain Gate.
The many Open Heaven Realm cultivators of Void Land had been standing in readiness. The moment they sensed Yang Kai's return, Zhan Wuhen and the others hurried over, asking with concern, "How is the Star Boundary?"
Yang Kai gathered his thoughts and relayed everything he had learned.
The Great Emperors all wore expressions of surprise.
"This is good news," Mo Huang said, raising an eyebrow. "That World Tree is even more wondrous than we imagined. Not only can it absorb the void's energy to replenish the Star Boundary's spiritual qi, making cultivation easier, but it even simplifies the condensation of Dao Seals and makes them more stable."
Duan Hongchen looked equally wistful. "If that's truly the case, then the Star Boundary could produce a great number of Open Heaven Realm candidates in the future."
Zhan Wuhen, however, appeared somewhat troubled. "Fortune always carries the seed of misfortune. If handled poorly, a good thing can sometimes become a bad one. Don't forget why Zuo Quanhui is heading straight for the Star Boundary."
The Great Emperors were all sharp-minded. Hearing Zhan Wuhen's words, they immediately grasped what he was worried about. The excitement that had been building in their hearts cooled as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped over it, and one by one they sobered up.
"The Star Boundary's changes must not be leaked," Zhan Wuhen said, his expression grave as he looked at Yang Kai. "Otherwise, every Cave Heaven and Blessed Land will be consumed with envy."
Even with aptitudes like those of Fourth Master Yang and Dong Suzhu, they were now qualified to advance to Fourth Order or even Fifth Order Open Heaven. If true geniuses grew up in the Star Boundary, the results would be staggering — advancing to Sixth Order would be trivially easy, and there might even be heaven-defying individuals who could jump straight to Seventh Order.
The Star Boundary had practically become a cradle for Open Heaven Realm cultivators. It could effortlessly nurture vast numbers of Open Heaven candidates, and this was only the beginning. Given enough time, what would the Star Boundary become? Who could say?