"Uncle-Master Yu wants to take that child as her legacy successor — surely you're not thinking of taking a disciple too, Master Xu?" Yang Kai asked.
"Taking a disciple? Like hell!" Xu Lingong spat, his face a picture of bitter regret. "Three disciples in this lifetime is more than enough. I've been both father and mother to them, raised them through every miserable stage — I'm not taking on any more."
Qing Kui and Su Yingxue both rolled their eyes simultaneously, thinking: We were already around ten years old when we joined. It's not nearly as dramatic as you make it sound. And sure, Junior Sister Qu Huachang did enter as an infant, but it was us senior brother and sister who actually raised her — you, dear Master, were a complete hands-off slacker the whole time.
They thought it, but they would never dare say it aloud.
Xu Lingong chuckled. "But just because I'm not taking disciples doesn't mean I can't recruit for Yin Yang Heaven. Your Star Boundary is brimming with talent these days. The World Tree really is something extraordinary — planted here, it has turned this world into a place of rare spiritual refinement. Its aura purges the soul and flesh before a child is even born, essentially granting everyone a cleansing of essence and marrow from the start. Without it, how could any ordinary Universe World produce so many top-tier geniuses? In my eyes, your little Star Boundary is practically paved with gold. Kid, you want to use the big banner as your flag — just be mentally prepared for people to make outrageous demands!"
Yang Kai replied leisurely, "You have to give to receive. If you keep everything locked away for yourself, trouble follows endlessly."
Xu Lingong glanced at Yang Kai with approval. "When Qing'er came back, he mentioned something you said — I quite appreciated that. The Star Boundary right now is the juiciest piece of meat in all the world. If you really thought you could gobble it up alone, you'd choke on it sooner or later. Every one of those great Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands has noses as sharp as foxes — once the scent of this feast gets out, they'll come sniffing. That you can see this clearly and choose to open your gates voluntarily, seizing the initiative — that's something only an extraordinary person could manage."
Yang Kai's expression turned serious. "I'd still appreciate your guidance, Master Xu!"
Xu Lingong waved a hand. "Like I told you before — you've got plenty of talent here. I may not take disciples myself, but no Cave Heaven or Blessed Land ever turns away high-potential ones. Across all Three Thousand Worlds, among every great Cave Heaven and Blessed Lands, Core Disciples who can advance directly to the Sixth Order appear perhaps once in a thousand years. Someone like little Qu — every Cave Heaven and Blessed Land has to pour enormous effort and resources into raising one. Of course, you're an absolute freak of nature. If those few hadn't blocked you with all their might, you probably could have advanced directly to the Seventh Order."
As he spoke, he cast Yang Kai a look tinged with regret.
Yang Kai smiled without a trace of concern. "The tallest tree in the forest gets the most wind. The way things are now is fine — at least I don't have pairs of eyes watching my every move in the dark. A man can't even sleep in peace."
Xu Lingong glanced back at Qing Kui and Su Yingxue, pointing at Yang Kai with one finger. "Learn from your Junior Brother Yang's magnanimity. It's rare for a young man to have that kind of temperament."
Qing Kui and Su Yingxue both nodded in unison. "Master is right."
Xu Lingong sighed. "Don't blame those Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands for reaching their hands too far. There are certain... difficult circumstances and reasons not known to outsiders that make them treat anyone who attempts direct advancement to the Seventh Order as a mortal threat."
Yang Kai frowned. "I heard that once, someone advanced directly to the Seventh Order and eventually achieved the Ninth Order — but an incident occurred that left the Three Thousand Worlds awash in blood."
Xu Lingong seemed to deliberate for a moment before answering. "That's only part of it. The full reasons are... not easy to discuss. You'll come to understand them in time. When that day comes, it'll be clear enough."
Something shifted subtly in Yang Kai's expression. He had a vague sense that this matter touched upon some deeper secret — but since Xu Lingong wasn't elaborating, he didn't press.
"Off topic!" Xu Lingong waved his hand. "Back to your Star Boundary — you've opened the gates, and just as you wished, I've invited quite a few people over. The ones who've come so far are only the first batch; there will be many more. Once word spreads, all one hundred and eight top-tier powers will come to the Star Boundary. This feast smells too good to resist — everyone wants a bite, mouth already dripping with grease. Since Yin Yang Heaven has the advantage of proximity, I won't stand on ceremony. We'll take the first bite, with respect."
"Please go ahead, Master Xu!" Yang Kai's expression turned solemn.
Xu Lingong tapped the table lightly with one finger and spoke with deliberate weight: "Every hundred years, Yin Yang Heaven will take ten disciples from the Star Boundary. Can you agree to this?"
The moment the terms were laid out, this was no longer a conversation between elder and junior — it was a negotiation between Yin Yang Heaven and Void Land and the Star Boundary.
"Ten every hundred years!" Even with mental preparation, Yang Kai drew a sharp breath, then smiled bitterly. "Yin Yang Heaven alone claims ten. Multiply that across one hundred and eight factions, and that's one thousand and eighty! With a cycle of only a hundred years — how many geniuses can the Star Boundary produce? Won't you strip it completely bare? Will there be anything left for Void Land to eat?"
Xu Lingong gave him a sidelong look. "What's this, kid? Trying to keep the water level in every cup? Are you their son-in-law too?"
Yang Kai laughed sheepishly. "That, it certainly isn't."
Xu Lingong declared flatly, "Give one per hundred years to each of them, and they'd laugh their teeth out. The path of martial cultivation values quality over quantity — disciples are the same. What's the point of collecting so many? Get lucky once — find a single one who advances directly to the Seventh Order, and that's worth more than a hundred."
Yang Kai seized the opening. "Since Master Xu puts it that way, Yin Yang Heaven can take one just the same — why ten?"
Xu Lingong simply stared at him, saying nothing.
Yang Kai haggled: "Three!"
Xu Lingong stood up. "Qing'er, Little Xue'er — we're going home. The young master's household is no place for guests. I'm in a foul mood! When we get back, tell little Qu — this marriage is off. We're calling it quits."