The advancement from Seventh-Order to Eighth-Order was not something that could be done in a short time—it might take several days, or perhaps even months. Yet none of those who had come to observe showed any trace of impatience; they were unwilling to let even the slightest detail slip by.
The Samsara Pavilion was a place for tempering the heart. No matter how long one spent cycling through its realms, one's strength would not increase by even a sliver.
Luo Tinghe had likely already reached the critical threshold for breakthrough two thousand years ago. Otherwise, she wouldn't have needed to advance the moment she escaped from the Samsara Realms. It was precisely those two thousand years of Samsara that had become the catalyst for her current breakthrough.
In other words, if Luo Tinghe hadn't impulsively rushed into the Samsara Pavilion back then, she would already be an Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivator by now.
"Little Qu'er, you entered directly at the Sixth-Order, so there's still hope for you to advance to Eighth-Order in the future. Watch closely—this will be good for you," Yu Xiangdie said.
Qu Huashang nodded solemnly.
"The danger in advancing within the Open Heaven realm lies in the strengthening of one's Small Universe. The Small Universe has its limits, and when it receives a sudden, massive boost, if the cultivator cannot withstand it, the Small Universe risks collapse. That is the danger Senior Sister Luo faces now, and it's a danger all Open Heaven cultivators must face. But for you, since you're currently Sixth-Order, when you advance to Seventh-Order, the risk you'll face is the solidification of your Small Universe from the ethereal to the real. That is the most difficult hurdle of all—even more dangerous than what Senior Sister Luo is facing now."
Qu Huashang replied respectfully, "Please enlighten me, Martial Aunt."
Yu Xiangdie sighed. "These matters should have been Xu Manzi who told you, but since he's not here now, it falls to me. During the process of your Small Universe transitioning from ethereal to real, both your Small Universe and your spirit will suffer unimaginable shock. Just like demon beasts, when they cultivate to a certain level, they need to condense an Inner Core within their bodies. If their power remains scattered and cannot converge, they won't succeed. So when you advance to Seventh-Order in the future, you must be certain that your foundation and accumulated resources are sufficient. If they're not, your Small Universe won't be able to solidify from ethereal to real, and that will be a trial of life and death. Countless Disciples of the various Paradises and Blessed Lands have fallen at this very hurdle. If it weren't so, high-grade Open Heaven cultivators within the various Paradises and Blessed Lands wouldn't be so scarce."
Throughout history, there may not have been many cultivators in the Paradises and Blessed Lands who entered directly at the Sixth-Order, but there were certainly no shortage of those who entered directly at the Fifth-Order.
These Fifth-Order Disciples, after long years of cultivation and accumulation, would—if all went smoothly—always be able to gradually raise their grade to Sixth-Order or even Seventh-Order.
But if advancing to Seventh-Order were truly that simple, then the Paradises and Blessed Lands would be teeming with tens of thousands of high-grade Open Heaven cultivators.
Setting aside the Paradises and Blessed Lands entirely, even among the second-tier powers there would certainly be no small number of Seventh-Order Open Heaven existences.
Yet in reality, among the current Paradises and Blessed Lands, none possessed that many high-grade Open Heaven cultivators. While there were certainly other reasons, the greater reason was the enormous risk involved in advancement. Those Disciples qualified to attempt the leap to high-grade Open Heaven either lacked sufficient foundation and had no confidence in advancing, never daring to attempt it lightly—or they failed during advancement and perished.
Between the Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order lay a watershed, and after the Seventh-Order, the gap between each grade became insurmountable.
"If that's the case, then wouldn't the Four Great Pillars of Heaven and Earth and the Twelve Lesser Pillars be of enormous assistance to Open Heaven advancement?" Yang Kai suddenly thought of something.
Yu Xiangdie nodded. "Naturally. During Open Heaven advancement, the Small Universe is subjected to tremendous shock. The Four Great Pillars and Twelve Lesser Pillars can make the Small Universe more stable and refined—the assistance they provide is no small thing. But you should know, the Twelve Lesser Pillars can only be refined and accommodated within one's Small Universe by high-grade Open Heaven cultivators. Even if they're useful to those below high-grade, they have no way of using them. What truly benefits them are the Four Great Pillars. But how rare are the Four Great Pillars? How could ordinary people ever have the fortune to obtain them?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Yang Kai with an expression that clearly said, *You really are one lucky man.*
The fact that Yang Kai possessed the Heaven and Earth Spring was no secret among the Paradises and Blessed Lands. The Heaven and Earth Spring stabilized the Small Universe, making it perfectly rounded and flawless, impervious to outside interference—even the Force of Ink had proven powerless against Yang Kai. That had once made a whole crowd of high-grade Open Heaven cultivators deeply envious.
Yang Kai had originally thought the Heaven and Earth Spring's benefits were limited to these things. He hadn't expected it to also help during advancement—a welcome surprise indeed.
With the Four Great Pillars stabilizing the Small Universe, not only was it impervious to outside interference, allowing him to safely nurture living beings within and strengthen his own foundation, but it could also resist the erosion of the Force of Ink. In battle, there was no need to worry about the Small Universe being shaken, and during advancement, it provided tremendous benefit.
Now it seemed the Four Great Pillars were truly treasures of heaven and earth. In terms of rarity, they were no less precious than his Soul-Warming Lotus or the Ageless Tree he had once possessed—especially for Open Heaven cultivators, the Four Great Pillars might be even more valuable.
"Martial Aunt Yu, I have one more question I'd like to ask," Yang Kai said humbly.
Yu Xiangdie said, "Go ahead."
"You probably know something about my situation. I'm also Sixth-Order now, and I feel like the distance to Seventh-Order isn't far either. If I advance to Seventh-Order, what kind of situation might I face?"
Yu Xiangdie was first shocked by the ferocity of Yang Kai's cultivation speed.
One had to consider that from the time he advanced to Fifth-Order outside the Shadowless Paradise in the Broken Sky, only about three hundred years had passed—and that was after subtracting the one hundred and thirty years he had spent inside the Samsara Pavilion.
From Fifth-Order to Sixth-Order, and now he was not far from Seventh-Order.
She had never heard of anyone cultivating at such a speed within the Open Heaven realm. Cultivation at the Open Heaven level placed the greatest emphasis on accumulation, and there was simply no way to accelerate the process quickly—something no Open Heaven cultivator could avoid.