As expected, if Yang Kai truly excluded the two great Cave Heavens, it would lead to an irreconcilable feud down the road. Including them now could be seen, at least in part, as a form of compensation.
Pei Wenxuan and Yin Xinzhao were dead, but if the two Cave Heavens could find promising seedlings in the Star Boundary, then in a few hundred or even a thousand years, they might well produce several Core Disciples who could advance directly to the Sixth Order.
What surprised people was how decisively Yang Kai handled it — without the slightest hint of making things difficult for them.
Once the numbers were settled, everything else fell into place. Yang Kai laid out his conditions for the Star Boundary as before: every Disciple selected would require a set of Sixth Order resources, or something of equivalent value, as compensation.
The demand wasn't unreasonable, and everyone accepted it readily without any attempt to haggle.
After that came discussion of the World Tree and World Fruit. Yang Kai didn't reveal much, saying only that when the day came for the World Tree to bloom and bear fruit, they could all sit down and negotiate then.
Everyone more or less agreed that discussing such hypotheticals at this juncture wasn't particularly appropriate, so they readily acquiesced.
There was no need to sign any contracts. The thirty-odd high-level Open Heaven cultivators present each represented the face of their respective Sects — their word alone was the greatest guarantee.
A grueling three-day-and-night negotiation finally came to a close. As for when each power would select what kind of Disciples, and where they would establish their branch halls and training grounds, that was their own affair. They simply needed to notify the Ling Xiao Palace, which held sway over the Star Boundary, and file the necessary records — not much trouble at all.
Yang Kai said his final piece: "Everything we've discussed today pertains solely to the Star Boundary! Everything in this Great Domain beyond the Star Boundary belongs to my Ling Xiao Palace. No outsider may covet it!"
"Naturally!" everyone nodded.
Xu Linggong quietly rolled his eyes. Yang Kai was essentially bullying them into not knowing that the Domain Gate fifty thousand li beyond the Star Boundary led to a newly formed Great Domain. If they knew that, would they have agreed so readily?
Many people had seen the Domain Gate but hadn't paid it much mind, assuming it led to some already-known Great Domain.
Still, such a thing couldn't remain hidden for long. Once these high-level Open Heaven cultivators had the time, they would naturally discover the truth. But with Yang Kai's definitive declaration today, and the fact that every faction had already received tangible benefits from the Star Boundary, they would likely be too embarrassed to challenge him over it.
The resources of a newly formed Great Domain might be abundant, but the great Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands already possessed deep and formidable foundations. They weren't necessarily willing to entangle themselves with Yang Kai over this matter — antagonizing him would be more loss than gain.
Once the discussions concluded, the crowd dispersed immediately. Even Zhuo Buqun and Yu Huan had vanished from sight. Having been ushered into the grand hall the moment they arrived, they still had little understanding of the Star Boundary's situation, so naturally they wanted to see it for themselves.
The remaining people were mostly off scouting locations for their branch halls and training grounds. Selecting Disciples wasn't urgent — as Xu Linggong had mentioned before, the World Tree had only recently begun to show its power. The real, visible effects wouldn't manifest until several generations had passed. Finding a natural Dao Physique perfectly suited to one's lineage, as Yu Changdao had, was a matter of rare fortune.
Of course, if they truly encountered a Disciple of exceptional talent and outstanding ability, they wouldn't hesitate to take them. After all, they were permitted to select five every hundred years. The Star Boundary, this cradle of Open Heaven cultivators, was destined to continuously supply all manner of talent to the Three Thousand Worlds.
Word of what happened here would likely spread throughout the Three Thousand Worlds before long. The Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands that hadn't attended would surely send their people. But with established precedents already in place, newcomers need only follow the rules.
Compared to those Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands that hadn't yet come to the Star Boundary, the sole advantage the thirty-plus attending factions possessed was the ability to claim the best territories — staking out their domains! All other terms were identical.
"Aren't you going to follow them?" Yu Changdao suddenly appeared beside Xu Linggong. Both of them had been moving around the Star Boundary. Xu Linggong had found a suitable spot and was surveying the surrounding environment, preparing to establish Yin Yang Heaven's training ground here.
This was the Southern Region — the ruins of the Qingyang Divine Temple. Years ago, when the Great Demon God had wreaked havoc across the Star Boundary, the Southern Region had fallen, and the Qingyang Divine Temple had been forced to abandon its ancestral grounds. Under the lead of Temple Master Wen Zishan, they had retreated to Ling Xiao Palace.
Later, when the various Great Emperors had joined forces to slay the Great Demon God and purge the evil spirits, Wen Zishan, seeing this land shattered by war with its spiritual veins severed, had found a new location to rebuild the Qingyang Divine Temple.
Without the World Tree's nourishment, this place would still be nothing but ruins — desolate and barren beyond measure.
But under the World Tree's replenishing influence, the spiritual veins had been restored, spiritual energy surged abundantly, vast stretches of verdant trees had sprung up, and mountains rose and fell across the landscape. For a World, this was a rare blessed land.
Xu Linggong grinned: "You didn't follow them either."
Yu Changdao frowned: "He's your Yin Yang Heaven's son-in-law! What if something goes wrong? Those two are both high-level Open Heaven cultivators — if they team up, how can Yang Kai possibly resist?"
Xu Linggong was utterly unconcerned: "You're his Ling Xiao Palace's Supreme Guest Elder. If you're not going to worry about whether he lives or dies, why should I?"
"You're really not going?" Yu Changdao asked, surprised.
"If he's a man of meager fortune, then this trial is his lot. Even if you shield him once, you can't shield him forever. But if he's blessed with great fortune, he'll naturally turn danger into safety." Xu Linggong spoke with the serene composure of a sage. "Besides, there are certain things he must face at least once, or it will never end."
Yu Changdao stared at him with furrowed brows, unable to figure out what the old man was playing at. He shook his head: "Fine, if you won't go, I'll go myself."
With that, he transformed into a streak of light and shot straight toward the horizon.
Xu Linggong remained where he stood. After a good while, he glanced briefly in the direction Yu Changdao had gone, but quickly averted his gaze and called out: "Qing Kui."
Qing Kui, who had been standing silently behind him all along, cupped his fists: "Master."