Lingxiao Palace's sole dominion over an entire new great domain had inevitably drawn some grumbling from the various Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands. But considering the World Tree of the Star Boundary, they could only swallow their complaints. After all, they still relied on the nourishing power of the World Tree to nurture their own disciples.
However, if the existence of the Black Yin Bamboo leaked out, it could very well stir up a storm.
"What's so special about this Small Stone World?" Yang Kai asked. "Lord Beast Wu said this place is similar to the Star Boundary, but I don't see it."
Yue He and Zhou Ya exchanged a glance, then smiled with pressed lips. "Young Master, try refining the World Force of this Small Stone World."
"Refine the World Force?" Yang Kai's face filled with surprise, and a bold conjecture suddenly formed in his mind. "Could it be that this place..."
As he spoke, he closed his eyes in concentration, opened his own Small Universe, and channeled his power to refine the World Force belonging to this world.
In short order, Yang Kai's face was filled with shock.
He discovered that the World Force of this place could be refined and absorbed directly. What was truly astonishing was that there were absolutely no hidden dangers.
Every Qiankun World possessed its own World Force, and due to differences in the Heavenly Dao Laws, each World Force had subtle variations. These subtle differences determined the degree of compatibility between that Qiankun World and an Open Heaven Realm cultivator's own power.
If an Open Heaven Realm cultivator wished to refine the power of a Qiankun World to bolster their own foundation, they had to select those worlds with extremely high compatibility.
If they refined the power of a world with poor compatibility, the absorbed World Force would not only fail to strengthen their foundation — it would become impurities that undermined their base. At best, this would require enormous amounts of time and effort to purge, wasting energy and yielding nothing. At worst, it could destabilize one's Small Universe and cause one's rank to drop.
But this Small Stone World was clearly different. Yang Kai had refined only a small amount of World Force moments ago, and he could clearly feel that the power absorbed into his Small Universe was extraordinarily compatible with his own. There was not the slightest discomfort.
"Why is this? Is it the same for you?" Yang Kai asked, amazed.
Yue He and Zhou Ya nodded in unison.
"It's precisely because of this Small Stone World's unique cultivation environment that we come here to cultivate during our rest periods," Yue He explained. "As for why this world is like this, we haven't been able to figure it out."
Yang Kai suddenly recalled that Hei He had looked positively reluctant when he left earlier. Now he understood — this Small Stone World was a supreme cultivation sanctuary for any Open Heaven Realm cultivator. Refining the World Force here for their own use was far faster than burning through all manner of cultivation resources or consuming Open Heaven Pills.
Hei He naturally wanted to stay and cultivate here to raise his rank, but he needed to return to the Star Boundary to report, and couldn't linger.
Just as Mo Huang had said before, the Small Stone World was indeed similar to the Star Boundary!
Comparing the two, however, the Star Boundary's limitations were certainly greater — only those Great Emperors who hailed from the Star Boundary and had been acknowledged by its Heavenly Dao could freely refine and absorb the Star Boundary's World Force to strengthen their Small Universe foundations.
No one else enjoyed that privilege.
The Small Stone World, on the other hand, welcomed all comers. Anyone could cultivate here without reservation.
Still, the Small Stone World had its advantages and its shortcomings. Comparing the two Qiankun Worlds, Yang Kai could clearly feel that the World Force of the Small Stone World was less dense than that of the Star Boundary.
This was only natural. The Star Boundary had the World Tree constantly nourishing it — the Small Stone World couldn't compare.
Each of the two Qiankun Worlds had its own strengths and its own weaknesses.
Pleased as he was, Yang Kai also felt a measure of concern. "How long have you been cultivating here? Has the World Force of this world shown any signs of change?"
Under normal circumstances, the World Force of a Qiankun World was not inexhaustible. The Star Boundary was an exception. The Small Stone World's World Force was indeed wondrous, but if people cultivated here over extended periods, there was a high probability that the world's reserves would drain away, leaving it dried up and barren.
When that happened, this place would inevitably become a dead zone.
Slaughtering the goose to get the eggs — Yang Kai naturally needed to guard against that.
"This place was discovered forty years ago," Yue He replied. "We noticed right away that it was different from the start. At our peak, we had as many as six Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators practicing here simultaneously. If we're being honest, compared to forty years ago, the World Force of the Small Stone World has indeed thinned somewhat. So starting twenty years ago, we limited it to no more than two people cultivating here at any given time. Over these past twenty years, the situation has remained stable."
Yang Kai nodded. "In that case, the World Force that this world regenerates on its own is enough to sustain at least two Sixth-Order cultivators continuously refining without any reduction. What about three? Have you tried?"
"We've tried three, even four. With three, there's no noticeable effect. But with four, you can detect the depletion of the Small Stone World's reserves. So to be safe, we've always come in pairs, taking turns to rest and cultivate here."
Yang Kai stroked his chin, a contemplative expression on his face. "The regeneration of a Qiankun World's World Force is primarily driven by the reproduction and growth of its living beings. The more thriving a world's sentient races, the richer its World Force. If this Small Stone World is so special, it must have something to do with the creatures here." He abruptly raised his head and asked, "Are there any unique life forms in this world?"
Yue He nodded. "There are. Young Master, follow me."
With that, she took the lead. Yang Kai followed behind her as they drifted down from the spirit peak.
When they reached the base of the mountain, Yue He pointed in a direction. "Young Master, look over there."